GEOGRAPHIC   INFLUENCES 

IN   OLD   TESTAMENT 

MASTERPIECES 


BY 

LAURA  H.  WILD 

PROFESSOR    OF    BIBLICAL    HISTORY    AND    LITERATURE 
IN    LAKE    KR1E    COLLEGE 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  •  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO  •  LONDON 


COPYRIGHT,  1915,  BY  LAURA  H.  WILD 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 
915.1 


gtftenacnm 


GINN  AND  COMPANY  •  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


VJ 


5 


TO 

THE  FRIEND 

WHOSE  COUNSEL  AND  ENCOURAGEMENT 
HAVE  BEEN  THE  CONSTANT  INSPIRATION  OF  MY  WORK 


SANTA 


PREFACE 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  teach  the  geography, 
history,  or  nature  study  of  Palestine  in  detail,  but  rather  to 
give  illustrations  of  how  Old  Testament  literature  is  inter- 
preted through  the  geography,  history,  botany,  and  zoology 
of  the  land  in  which  it  was  written.  Every  one  should 
know  something  of  these  subjects.  There  is  no  better 
way  to  impress  these  great  facts  upon  our  minds  than  to 
connect  them  with  the  poetic  outbursts  they  have  inspired 
in  great  authors,  and  nowhere  did  nature  seem  to  have  a 
more  impressive  effect  upon  the  mind  of  man  than  in 
Palestine,  becoming  a  necessary  part  of  the  expression  of 
his  soul.  We  lost  all  that  during  the  Middle  Ages.  Not 
until  the  time  of  Wordsworth  and  his  contemporaries  did 
the  great  nature  poets  begin  to  appear  in  the  West.  To-day 
in  our  public  schools  we  are  trying  to  teach  our  youth  to 
come  close  to  the  very  heart  of  life  by  drawing  close  to 
nature.  It  is  fitting,  then,  that  we  should  go  back  to  the 
great  nature  poets  of  Hebrew  literature  to  help  us  on  our 
way,  for  "  true  poetry  has  always  come  back  to  the  realities 
of  Nature  and  life,"  and  some  of  the  world's  greatest 
masterpieces  are  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Testament.  We 
are  beginning  to  show  appreciation  of  this  fact  by  intro- 
ducing the  Bible  as  literature  into  many  of  our  schools,1  but 

1  See  recommendation  of  the  Committee  on  College  Requirements  ; 
also  the  North  Dakota  Plan,  Biblical  World,  June,  1913,  and  "  Academic 

[v] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

a  real  interpretation  of  these  masterpieces  is  utterly  impos- 
sible without  some  knowledge  of  the  land  itself — without, 
figuratively  speaking,  breathing  the  same  atmosphere  which 
inspired  the  author.  The  two  things,  then,  work  together  : 
a  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  land  interprets  the  liter- 
ature, and  the  literature  interprets  our  knowledge  of  all 
nature  and  life. 

The  selections  included  in  this  little  book  are  illustrative 
of  some  of  the  main  geographical  features  of  Palestine  which 
affected  the  life  of  the  people  so  strongly.  Most  of  them 
are  great  poems  or  stories  depicting  historical  events.  They 
introduce  some  of  the  forms  of  literature  peculiar  to  the 
Hebrews  and  of  which  their  great  writers  were  such  uncon- 
scious masters.  They  also  touch  upon  botany  and  zoology, 
the  nature  study  with  which  these  Hebrew  poets  were 
saturated  and  which  reveals  the  everyday  life  of  the  people. 

The  text  quoted  unless  otherwise  indicated  is  the  Amer- 
ican Revised  Version.  The  special  translations  inserted  are 
taken  from  many  scholars.  They  are  not  meant  as  a  substi- 
tute for  our  familiar  versions,  but  rather  to  illumine  the 
passages  by  looking  at  the  original  Hebrew  in  the  light 
of  the  gifted  scholarship  of  our  day.  Any  version  —  the 
King  James,  the  Revised,  the  Douay,  or  the  Jewish  trans- 
lation of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  —  will  serve  for  the  use 
of  the  students. 


Credit  for  Bible  Study,"  The  Independent,  March  9,  1914;  also  a  state- 
ment of  the  Colorado  Plan,  the  Gary  Plan,  the  New  York  City  Plan,  the 
Pennsylvania  Plan,  the  Pittsburg  Plan,  the  Australian  Plan,  and  the  Sas- 
katchewan Plan  in  the  Twentieth  Century  Quarterly,  September,  1914. 
This  Quarterly  is  edited  by  Dr.  Wilbur  F.  Crafts,  Washington,  D.C.  See 
also  "  The  Biblical  Knowledge  of  High  School  Students,"  Religious 
Education,  August,  1914. 

[Vi] 


PREFACE 

I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Irving  F.  Wood  of  Smith 
College,  Miss  Harriet  L.  Keeler,  formerly  of  the  Cleveland 
public  schools,  and  Dr.  Washington  Gladden  for  their 
kindness  in  reading  the  manuscript  and  encouraging  its 
publication ;  also  to  Dr.  Margaret  L.  Bailey  of  Smith 
College  for  assistance  in  proofreading. 

LAKE  ERIE  COLLEGE  LAURA  H.  WILD 

PAINESVILLE,  OHIO 


[vii] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PART  I.     THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES   ....        i 
PART  II.    OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES   ...      21 

SELECTION 

I.   THE  COAST 21 

Isa.  xvii,  12-14 

II.   THE  ROADS 25 

THE  STORY  OF  JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN 25 

Gen.  xxxvii 

III.  THE  HILLS 32 

Ps.  xxiv,  7-10  (xxiii,  7-10,  Douay);  Ps.  cxxi  (cxx,  Douay); 
Ps.  cxxv,  i,  2  (cxxiv,  I,  2,  Douay);  Gen.  xxii,  1-18; 
Isa.  xxx,  15-17  ;  Isa.  xxxi,  i,  3-5 

ABRAHAM  ON  MOUNT  MORIAH 38 

Gen.  xxii,  1-18 
ISAIAH'S  WARNING 41 

Isa.  xxx,  15-17  ;  Isa.  xxxi,  i,  3-5 

IV.  THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  THE  PLAIN 46 

SAMSON  AND  THE  WHEAT  FIELDS 46 

Judges  xv,  4-17 

THE  ROSE  OF  SHARON  AND  THE  LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY   .      52 
Song  of  Songs  ii,  i  (Canticle  of  Canticles  ii,  i,  Douay) 

V.  THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 55 

Judges  v 

VI.   MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE 66 

i  Kings  xviii,  16-40  (3  Kings  xviii,  16-40,  Douay) 

[ix] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

SELECTION  PAGE 

VII.   MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  THE  RAINS 75 

1  Kings  xvii,  1-7  (3  Kings  xyii,  1-7,  Douay);  i  Kings 
xviii,  i,  2,  5,  6,  41-46  (3  Kings  xviii,  i,  2,  5,  6,  41- 
46,  Douay) 

VIII.   THE  THUNDERSTORM  PSALM 80 

Ps.  xxix  (xxviii,  Douay) 

IX.   MOUNT  HERMON,  THE  LAND  OF  SNOW 84 

Prov.  xxv,  13  ;  Hos.  xiii,  3  ;  Hos.  vi,  4 ;  Hos.  xiv,  6 

X.   THE  SMELL  OF  LEBANON 87 

Hos.  xiv,  4-7 

XI.  NAAMAN'S  SCORN  OF  THE  JORDAN 92 

2  Kings  v,  1-19  a  (4  Kings  v,  1-19  a,  Douay) 

XII.  THE  BULLS  OF  BASHAN  AND  THE  BALM  OF  GILEAD  .    .      97 
Ps.  xxii,  12  (xxi,  13,  Douay);  Deut.  xxxii,  9-15;  Jer.  1, 
17-19;  Gen.  xxxvii,  25;  Gen.  xliii,  1 1 ;  Jer.  viii,  18-22 

XIII.  THE  CAVES 104 

Gen.  xix,  30;  Obad.  3,  4,  10-15  (Abdias  3,  4,  10-15, 
Douay);  I  Sam.  xxiv  (i  Kings  xxiv,  Douay);  i  Sam. 
xiii,  5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23  (i  Kings  xiii,  5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23, 
Douay);  i  Sam.  xxii,  i,  2  (i  Kings  xxii,  i,  2,  Douay); 
i  Sam.  xxviii,  3-25  (i  Kings  xxviii,  3-25,  Douay); 
Amos  ix,  i  b~3  a 

XIV.  THE  DESERT 119 

Ps.  ciii,  15,  1 6  (cii,  15,  16,  Douay);  Ps.  Ixiii,  I  (Ixii,  2, 
3,  Douay);  Ps.  xiii,  I,  2  (xli,  2,  3,  Douay);  Ps.  cvii, 
4  ff.  (cvi,  4  ff.,  Douay);  Ps.  cxliii,  6-8  (cxlii,  6-8, 
Douay);  Isa.  xxxii,  i,  2;  Isa.lv;  Isa.  xl 

XV.  THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 129 

Ps.  civ  (ciii,  Douay);  Deut.  viii,  7-10 ;  Exod.  xxxiv, 
22,  26;  Judges  vi,  n,  12;  and  selections  from  the 
Prophets  and  from  Job 

XVI.   THE  POEM  OF  THE  FARMER 141 

Isa.  xxviii,  23-29 


CONTENTS 

SELECTION  PAGE 

XVII.   THE  FIELDS  OF  BETHLEHEM  AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH    145 
The  Book  of  Ruth 

XVIII.  THE  SONG  OF  THE  VINEYARD 155 

Isa.  v,  1-7 

XIX.   THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 161 

Ps.  xxiii  (xxii,  Douay) 

INDEX  OF  BIBLE  REFERENCES 171 

GENERAL  INDEX 175 


[Xi] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

JOSEPH'S  WELL 26 

THE  GREAT  HIGH  PLACE  AT  PETRA 36 

PLOWING  IN  THE  FIELDS  OF  SHARON 46 

THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  THE  OLD  BATTLEGROUND     ...  54 

MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  THE  PLAIN  OF  ACRE 74 

THE  SUMMIT  OF  MOUNT  HERMON 84 

THE  WILDERNESS  SOUTH  OF  THE  DEAD  SEA Il8 

PALESTINIAN  AGRICULTURAL  IMPLEMENTS 140 


GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

IN  OLD  TESTAMENT 

MASTERPIECES 

PART  I 

THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

One  of  the  greatest  educators  of  our  country,  the  man 
who  has  done  more  than  any  other  to  call  our  attention 
to  the  scientific  study  of  the  needs  of  our  youth,  calls  the 
Bible  our  "  pedagogical  masterpiece."  1  All  teachers  who 
are  familiar  with  the  book  know  this  to  be  true,  that  from 
a  teacher's  standpoint,  that  of  the  art  of  presenting  ma- 
terial, it  is  most  illuminating.  They  know  also  that  mod- 
ern scholarship  has  thrown  such  a  flood  of  light  upon 
Hebrew  literature  that  the  Old  Testament  especially  is 
rightfully  regarded  as  containing  some  of  the  finest  ex- 
amples of  story,  poetry,  and  oratory  that  the  world  pos- 
sesses. No  less  a  writer  than  Mr.  Edmund  Gosse  says 
that  when  young  men  come  to  him  for  advice  in  the 
formation  of  style  he  has  no  counsel  for  them  except  to 
read  aloud  as  often  as  possible  portions  of  the  Bible.  No 
less  a  teacher  than  one  of  our  professors  of  English  in 

1  President  G.  Stanley  HalL 
[1] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Yale  University  in  trying  to  show  his  students  how  to  write 
an  essay  or  prepare  a  speech  or  tell  a  story  sends  them 
to  the  Scriptures  to  find  out  how,  and  points  to  the  many 
noted  men  of  letters  who  have  "  learned  their  trade  in 
great  part  from  the  English  Bible."  He  says  their  case 
differs  only  in  degree  from  that  of  the  plain  people,  and 
"since  the  easiest  of  books  to  have  at  hand  has  been  found 
in  the  experience  of  so  many  and  so  different  men  the 
best  of  models  for  learning  how  to  write,  it  cannot  be  set 
aside  without  folly."  And  one  of  the  professors  of  Eng- 
lish in  Harvard  University,  in  speaking  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, says  "  it  has  preserved  for  us  the  history,  the  poetry, 
the  wisdom,  the  religious  ideals  and  national  hopes  of  a 
people  whose  individuality  and  tenacity  of  thought  are 
perhaps  the  strongest  known  in  history  "  ;  and  he  adds 
that  its  poetry  is  "  marked  by  a  singular  concreteness  and 
objectivity  both  of  idea  and  of  idiom,  and  by  a  freedom 
of  form  otherwise  unknown  in  English." 

Since  these  statements  concerning  the  value  of  the  Bible 
as  a  textbook  are  undoubtedly  not  in  the  least  exaggerated, 
it  seems  unpardonable  to  debar  our  children  from  its  ac- 
quaintance as  great  literature.  Furthermore,  these  recent 
years  have  revolutionized  the  teaching  of  geography,  so 
that  this  subject  is  now  considered  quite  worthy  of  place 
in  our  universities  as  well  as  in  our  secondary  schools,  so 
much  has  it  to  do  with  the  development  of  life,  both  in 
the  past  and  in  the  present.  Our  great  geographers  have 
been  busy  turning  the  light  of  their  particular  science  upon 
every  country  of  the  earth,  and  they  have  not  omitted  the 
little  territory  of  Palestine.  The  most  recent  geographical 
investigations  show  this  tiny  strip  of  land  to  be  one  of  the 

[2] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

most  remarkable  portions  of  the  earth's  surface,  a  repre- 
sentation in  miniature  of  what  has  been  spread  over  whole 
continents  elsewhere.  But  the  land  and  the  literature  of 
the  land  are  inextricably  bound  together.  It  is  my  purpose 
to  show  that  we  are  depriving  our  children  of  one  of  the 
greatest  source  books  of  education  when  we  cut  them  off 
from  an  acquaintance  with  the  land  of  Palestine  and  the 
literature  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  that  a  most  legiti- 
mate aid  to  the  study  of  literature  and  geography  in  general 
is  the  study  of  some  of  the  great  Old  Testament  master- 
pieces against  the  geographical  background  which  forms 
their  setting. 

From  the  broader  standpoint  we  are  only  beginning  to 
appreciate  fully  the  value  and  interest  of  this  branch  of 
knowledge.  The  ancients  understood  the  necessity  of  a 
crude  geography  in  order  to  conduct  their  trade  and  make 
the  discoveries  which  the  more  adventurous  among  them 
dared  to  undertake  ;  and  though  much  of  it  was  guesswork, 
which  has  had  to  be  revised  with  the  more  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  world,  their  geographical  guesses  led  to  great 
things — the  discovery  of  continents,  the  migration  of  races, 
the  establishment  of  great  empires,  the  onward  progress 
of  civilization.  The  geography  of  to-day  is  not  guesswork 
because  there  is  now  very  little  of  the  earth's  surface  that 
is  unexplored,  and  because  with  the  advance  of  science 
we  have  so  much  more  accurate  means  of  drawing  maps 
and  picturing  the  relative  importance  of  various  localities. 
But  it  is  nevertheless  of  great  interest  to  us  to  read  of  the 
geographical  guess  of  Columbus,  who  stumbled  on  America 
when  he  thought  he  was  going  to  find  India,  or  to  discover 
in  the  country  just  east  of  the  Dead  Sea  a  mosaic  map  of 

[3] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

the  Eastern  world  laid  out  in  the  ground  hundreds  of  years 
ago.1  This  is  the  oldest  known  map  in  the  world.  It  is 
made  of  squares  of  stone  of  various  colors  —  red,  yellow, 
blue,  black,  and  white — and  represents  Palestine,  the  Nile 
Valley,  and  the  surrounding  countries.  Bridges,  fish,  beasts, 
and  men,  as  well  as  mountains,  rivers,  and  cities,  are  de- 
picted. There  is  not  much  left  of  the  animals  now  but 
legs  and  tails.  However,  an  antelope  may  be  seen  intact, 
as  well  as  palm  trees  in  the  hot  valleys.  This  proves  that 
the  ancient  geographers  felt,  as  we  do,  that  we  should 
have  pictures  in  our  minds  not  only  of  the  topography  of  a 
land  (where  the  water  ends  and  the  plains  and  mountains 
begin),  and  of  the  distance  between  cities,  but  also  of  the 
things  that  live  there,  the  kind  of  animals  and  plants  as 
well  as  men. 

Modern  geography,  however,  goes  much  further  than 
this.  It  asks  "  why  "  of  everything  it  places  upon  the  map. 
Why,  for  example,  did  the  great  steel  company  choose  to 
place  its  city  at  the  precise  spot  which  is  called  Gary, 
Indiana  ?  Why  do  the  great  trunk  lines  of  our  continent 
all  focus  at  Chicago  ?  Why  is  the  city  of  Buenos  Aires 
growing  so  rapidly  and  magnificently  ?  Why  are  many 
ruins  of  ancient  buildings  found  on  the  Upper  Nile  and 
comparatively  few  in  the  Delta  ?  Why  has  the  little  country 
of  Palestine  played  so  important  a  part  in  the  development 
of  the  religious  life  of  the  world  ?  Many  of  these  "  whys  " 
have  to  do  with  the  development  of  commerce,  and  as  this 
is  a  commercial  age,  we  are  having  commercial  geography 
introduced  very  generally  into  our  schools.  But  modern  ge- 
ography is  by  no  means  wholly  utilitarian,  it  is  more  of  a 

1  Ellsworth  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation,  pp.  205  ff. 

[4] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

science  than  that  would  signify.  We  want  to  know  the 
answers  to  these  questions  because  they  are  vitally  con- 
nected with  our  understanding  of  history,  the  story  of  the 
life  of  the  world  in  the  past  as  well  as  in  the  present  day. 
Palestine  is  a  wonderful  country  to  study  from  the 
modern  geographical  standpoint.  There  are  several  reasons 
for  this.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  a  very  small  country,  only 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  and  south  by  one 
hundred  east  and  west  if  we  include  the  plateau  east  of  the 
Jordan,  which  properly  belongs  to  its  history.  This  is  about 
the  size  of  our  little  states  of  Vermont  or  New  Jersey,  and 
yet  within  that  small  territory  we  have  the  most  varied 
scenery  and  the  most  varied  climate  in  the  world.  Think 
of  starting  on  a  journey  across  the  state  of  Vermont  some 
day  and  on  the  Lake  Champlain  side  looking  out  upon  a 
plain  covered  with  palm  trees,  apricots  and  figs,  oranges 
and  peaches,  and  fields  of  flowers,  with  the  temperature  of 
southern  France  ;  then  climbing  low  rounded  hills,  dipping 
down  into  a  valley  and  ascending  a  high  mountain,  three 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  where  the  natives 
dress  in  sheepskin  and  live  in  warm  stone  huts ;  then  mak- 
ing a  quick,  sharp  dip  down  into  a  torridly  hot  valley,  with 
the  thermometer  in  May  standing  from  104°  to  114°  Fah- 
renheit, where  the  thinnest  of  clothes  only  are  endurable  ; 
then  rising  again  to  the  plateau  beyond,  where  cool  breezes 
and  heavy  dews  make  blankets  at  night  desirable.  This 
would  be  like  crossing  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  near 
Joppa  over  the  foothills  and  up  Mount  Zion,  down  into 
the  Jordan  Valley  and  up  again  to  the  Plateau  of  Moab. 
Or  if  one  stood  upon  Mount  Carmel,  the  one  conspicuous 
promontory  which  juts  out  a  little  north  of  the  middle  of 

[5] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

the  coast  line,  and  looked  northeast,  there  would  be  the 
snow-capped  Mount  Hermon,  the  Pike's  Peak  of  Pales- 
tine, standing  nine  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  with  the 
hills  of  Galilee  beneath,  the  grainfields  of  the  Valley  of 
Jezreel  to  the  east,  and,  swinging  around  to  the  south,  the 
beautiful  fertile  Plain  of  Sharon  lying  at  one's  feet  dotted 
with  fruit  trees  and  with  red  anemones  which  sprinkle  the 
landscape  with  color.  California,  as  one  travels  from  Los 
Angeles  to  Sacramento  and  from  the  Pacific  Coast  to  the 
Sierras,  is  said  to  be  more  like  Palestine  than  any  other 
country  in  the  world,  so  far  as  the  differences  in  climate  and 
landscape  are  concerned;1  but  California  covers  a  very 
much  larger  territory,  —  more  than  ten  times  as  large,2 — 
and  so  Palestine  has  the  distinction  of  giving  us  the  most 
compressed  and  kaleidoscopic  view  of  the  landscapes  and 
climates  which  the  world  contains. 

The  second  reason  why  Palestine  is  a  remarkable  coun- 
try to  study  is  from  the  geological  standpoint.  Geology  is 
more  or  less  involved  in  geography,  just  as  botany  and 
zoology  are.  The  land  we  live  upon  —  the  soil,  the  rocks, 
the  mountains  and  valleys  —  has  a  history.  Some  por- 
tions of  land  are  much  older  than  others  and  show  the 
effects  of  age  and  can  tell  tales  that  younger  places  know 
nothing  about.  Now  Palestine  can  tell  a  very  old  story  of 
the  earth's  appearance  above  the  sea  some  thirty  thousand 
years  ago 8  and  of  the  gradual  changes  that  took  place  until 

1  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 

3  California  has  an  area  of  1 58,000  square  miles,  and  Greater  Palestine 
of  only  1 2,000.  Thus  California  is  fully  thirteen  times  as  large  as  Palestine. 

8  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation,  p.  307.  This  is  the 
average  of  the  various  estimates  of  geologists  concerning  the  lapse  of 
time  since  the  close  of  the  last  glacial  period  in  Palestine. 

[6] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

it  was  fit  for  men  to  live  upon  some  five  or  six  thousand 
years  ago  —  of  great  glaciers  that  rubbed  and  scratched 
and  melted,  of  mighty  volcanic  eruptions  that  tore  the  rocks 
up  by  the  roots,  and  of  the  folding  of  the  earth's  crust  into 
hills  and  valleys,  forming  watersheds  and  river  basins  and 
lakes  and  seas,  leaving  mountains  and  plateaus  high  and  dry, 
and  causing  rich,  fertile  soil  to  be  washed  down  upon  the 
plains.  Palestine  is  a  wonderful  country  geologically  for 
three  reasons ;  first,  because  it  contains  within  such  a 
small  area  almost  all  the  different  kinds  of  formations 
which  the  earth  assumes — plain,  plateau,  sand  hill,  desert 
and  snow-clad  peaks,  river  valley  and  mountain  gorge, 
marshes,  bodies  of  fresh  water  and  salt  water,  hot  springs 
and  sulphur  springs,  steep  escarpments  and  howling  wilder- 
ness, caves  for  robbers,  pillars  of  salt,  volcanic  craters, 
chalk,  limestone,  sandstone,  a  forbidding  coast  line,  and 
one  semblance  of  a  harbor.  What  greater  variety  could 
one  ask  for  ?  Moreover,  while  the  top  layers  of  sandstone, 
limestone,  and  chalk  are  geologically  young,  there  are  very 
ancient  granite  rocks  near  at  hand,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
very  first  portions  of  the  earth's  surface  to  get  settled  into 
shape  fit  for  man  and  beast.1  It  has,  therefore,  a  longer 
story  to  tell  than  most  lands. 

In  the  third  place,  it  contains  the  most  wonderful  val- 
ley known  anywhere  on  the  earth's  surface,  a  valley  which 
starts  up  in  the  Lebanon  Mountains  with  the  sources  of  the 
Jordan  River,  widening  out  into  marshes  with  a  tiny  lake 
called  Lake  Huleh,  and  then  a  little  farther  down  forming 

1  Townsend  MacCoun,  The  Holy  Land  in  Geography  and  History ; 
Canon  Tristram,  Natural  History  of  the  Bible ;  C.  F.  Kent,  Biblical  Geog- 
raphy and  History ;  Elihu  Grant,  The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 

[7] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

the  harp-shaped  Sea  of  Galilee  with  its  clear,  blue,  fresh 
water.  The  outlet  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  the  River 
Jordan,  which  winds  down  to  the  Dead  Sea,  "  a  sparkling 
serpent  writhing  in  a  barren  desert,  with  only  here  and 
there  an  oasis  of  deepest  green."  The  distance  the  Jordan 
traverses  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  the  Dead  Sea  is  only 
about  sixty  miles  in  an  air  line,  but  the  river  is  so  wind- 
ing that  its  course  measures  two  hundred  miles.  The  Sea 
of  Galilee  at  its  lower  end  sinks  down  very  rapidly.  Where 
the  Jordan  River  finds  its  exit  its  channel  is  six  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean,  and  by  the  time 
it  reaches  the  Dead  Sea  the  gorge  is  twelve  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  feet  below  sea  level.  When  one  finds  land 
below  sea  level  anywhere,  it  is  a  phenomenon  to  be  spe- 
cially noted,  but  almost  thirteen  hundred  feet  below  is 
heard  of  only  in  the  little  country  of  Palestine.  "  No  other 
part  of  the  earth's  land  surface  sinks  much  over  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea ;  there  may  be 
something  on  the  surface  of  another  planet  to  match  the 
Jordan  Valley  —  there  is  nothing  on  this."  1  The  gorge 
is  especially  peculiar ;  geologists  think  it  is  not  due  to 
the  rift  cut  deep  in  the  rock  by  the  flowing  stream,  as  most 
valleys  are  made,  but  to  the  original  folding  of  the  earth's 
crust,  which  left  this  deep  trench  to  be  filled  in  by  the 
water  washing  down  from  above.2  Moreover  the  Dead 
Sea,  which  is  the  terminus  of  this  valley,  has  no  outlet ; 
it  receives  all  the  waters  from  the  Jordan  and  the  smaller 
streams  on  the  east  which  flow  into  it,  but  there  is  no 
stream  which  flows  out.  It  never  gets  filled  up,  however, 

1  George  Adam  Smith,  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 

2  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 

[8] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

and  never  overflows,  because  the  heat  is  so  intense  down 
in  that  torrid  valley  that  the  water  evaporates  very  rapidly. 
This  causes  the  atmosphere  to  be  exceedingly  moist  and 
all  the  more  unbearable  in  the  hot  season.1  It  also  causes 
all  the  mineral  elements  to  be  deposited  in  the  sea ;  not 
any  are  carried  off,  so  that  it  has  become  the  saltiest  body 
of  water  known,  the  water  containing  twenty-five  per  cent 
of  salts.  No  living  thing  can  exist  in  it  —  all  fish  die  within 
a  few  feet  of  shore,  all  palm  trees  and  plants  on  the  borders, 
which  sometimes  become  inundated,  wither  up  and  perish. 
If  a  man  tries  to  swim,  as  soon  as  he  has  reached  a  depth 
up  to  his  armpits  he  is  lifted  off  his  feet  "  and  vainly  wig- 
gles his  toes  in  an  attempt  to  touch  bottom."  If  the  wind 
blows,  the  heavy  water  very  slowly  rises  into  waves,  but 
finally  breaks  with  tremendous  force  dangerous  to  boats  and 
men.2  But  because  of  its  peculiarities  this  body  of  water 
produces  some  of  the  most  beautiful  color  effects  known.3 
And  so,  geologically,  Palestine  is  a  most  interesting  coun- 
try with  which  to  become  acquainted.  But  there  is  still 
another  reason  why  every  student  should  mark  Palestine 
in  red  as  one  of  the  spots  on  the  globe  that  he  knows 
about ;  and  that  is  because  it  contains  a  greater  variety  of 
plants  and  animals  than  any  other  country  of  its  size  in 
the  world.3  How  many  know  that  the  cyclamen  which 
you  buy  at  the  greenhouse  in  winter,  with  its  beautiful 

1  "Owing  to  the  proximity  of  the  desert  and  the  intense  heat  —  the 
temperature  rising  in  summer  as  high  as  118°  —  it  is  the  scene  of  a  stu- 
pendous process  of  evaporation.    It  is  computed  that  between  six  and 
eight  million  tons  of  water  rise  in  vapor  from  this  great  natural  caldron 
each  day." — Kent,  Biblical  Geography  and  History. 

2  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 
8  Kent,  Biblical  Geography  and  History. 

[9] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

rose-colored  blossoms,  is  a  native  of  Palestine  ?  How  many 
have  supposed  that  the  common  old-fashioned  hollyhock 
which  grows  in  your  grandmother's  garden  in  the  country 
received  its  name  from  the  holy-hocys  of  the  Holy  Land 
brought  back  to  England  by  the  Crusaders  ? l  Did  you 
know  also  that  our  delicate  maidenhair  fern  could  be  seen 
in  some  of  the  caves  over  there,  as  well  as  the  lilies  and 
the  mustard  spoken  of  in  the  Gospels,  and  crocuses  and 
narcissi,  bachelor's-buttons  and  wild  mignonette,  besides  gor- 
geous fields  of  red  anemone,  the  wild  rose,  and  "  an  endless 
variety  of  orchids  "?2  Around  the  marshes  of  Lake  Huleh 
are  found  acres  of  the  papyrus  reed,  some  of  it  growing 
sixteen  feet  high.  This  is  the  plant  that  used  to  grow  in 
such  profusion  in  Egypt  and  from  which  the  first  paper 
was  made  by  cutting  it  into  strips  and  pasting  them  to- 
gether. It  took  the  place  of  the  expensive  sheepskin  for 
writing  purposes,  and  many  of  our  old  manuscripts  were 
written  on  this  kind  of  paper.  But  now  this  reed  is  wholly 
extinct  in  Egypt  and,  except  in  Palestine,  is  not  found 
again  until  one  reaches  Assyria  or  India.3 

If  you  should  visit  the  Semitic  Museum  at  Harvard 
University,  you  would  find  a  collection  of  Palestinian  birds, 
some  of  them  looking  much  like  our  own.  You  would 
recognize  the  raven,  of  which  there  are  no  less  than  seven 
kinds  in  Palestine.  The  Palestinian  crow  has  a  gray  body 
and  black  wings.  There  are  quail  in  the  grass,  as  well  as 

1  A.  Goodrich-Freer,  Things  Seen  in  Palestine. 

*  Goodrich-Freer,  Things  Seen  in  Palestine ;  Grant,  The  Peasantry 
of  Palestine ;  Tristram,  Natural  History  of  the  Bible ;  W.  M.  Thomson, 
The  Land  and  the  Book. 

8  Tristram,  Natural  History  of  the  Bible ;  Grant,  The  Peasantry  of 
Palestine. 

[10] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

partridges  in  the  hills  and  owls  in  the  ruins.  There  is 
the  white  stork  with  black  wings,  red  bill,  and  red  legs, 
and  there  are  many  long-legged  water  birds.  Swallows, 
goldfinches,  doves,  white  sparrows,  and  even  robin  red- 
breasts, are  among  the  smaller  birds.  But  there  are  some 
birds  in  the  regions  near  the  Dead  Sea  not  found  else- 
where in  any  part  of  the  world.1  In  Palestine  almost 
every  kind  of  creature  seems  to  flourish,  from  sheep  and 
dogs  and  camels  to  bears,  hyenas,  wolves,  and  jackals,  and 
from  lizards  and  snakes  to  bats  and  most  enormous  grass- 
hoppers. The  remarkable  thing  about  the  flora  and  fauna 
of  Palestine  is  not  the  number  of  species  but  the  fact 
that  ordinarily  these  plants  and  animals  are  found  in 
such  widely  separated  places.  Serpents  and  lizards  are 
found  in  hot  countries,  bears  and  deer  in  cold  ;  maidenhair 
ferns  are  found  in  Vermont  and  Canada,  and  cyclamen 
nowhere  in  America  but  in  hothouses.  Yet  here  in  Pal- 
estine they  are  all  together.  It  is  the  native  habitat  of  palm 
trees  and  fir  trees,  olives  and  apricots,  figs  and  grapes. 
The  reason  for  it  of  course  is  that  there  is  such  a  variety 
of  climate  in  this  little  land,  from  the  torrid  Jordan  Valley 
to  the  cold,  snow-clad  mountains  of  Lebanon.  There  is  a 
puzzle  in  the  Book  of  Samuel.2  I  wonder  if  you  can  tell 
the  answer.  How  could  a  boy  named  Benaiah  find  a  lion 
(whose  habitat  is  a  torrid  jungle)  in  a  cave  where  there  was 
snow  ?  The  answer  would  be  hard  to  find  in  America  but 
very  simple  in  Palestine  years  ago,  before  lions  were  ex- 
tinct. The  lion  lived  in  the  Jordan  Valley  and  by  mistake 

1  Tristram,  Natural  History  of  the  Bible  ;  Grant,  The  Peasantry  of 
Palestine. 

2  z  Sam.  xxiii,  20. 


one  hot  day  wandered  up  the  west  bank  only  five  or  six 
miles  into  a  cave  in  the  mountains  of  Judea  about  three 
thousand  feet  above  his  home.1 

But  there  is  yet  another  reason  why  these  plants  and 
animals  are  interesting.  They  represent  the  flora  and  fauna 
of  different  continents  —  of  Asia  and  Africa  and  Europe. 
Ordinarily  in  studying  geography  you  classify  these  liv- 
ing things  separately  according  to  continents,  but  here 
they  are  together.  It  is  because  Palestine  is  a  bridge 
between  these  continents,  a  meeting  place,  a  point  of 
adventure  from  north  to  south  and  from  east  to  west,  and 
also  because  it  is  such  a  narrow  bridge,  with  the  hot  desert 
on  one  side  and  the  cool  Mediterranean  Sea  on  the  other.2 
We  shall  find  later  that  it  has  been  a  bridge  and  meet- 
ing place  for  human  beings  of  various  continents  and 
races,1  as  well  as  for  plants  and  animals,  but  just  now  we 
will  confine  ourselves  to  this  third  reason  for  including 
Palestine  in  our  study  of  geography :  namely,  that  it  has 
the  most  remarkable  variety  of  flora  and  fauna  of  any 
known  country.2 

The  fourth  reason  is  the  historical.  Of  course  when  we 
speak  of  history  we  mean  the  story  of  the  human  race. 
We  have  been  speaking  of  the  story  of  the  earth,  its  rocks, 
its  plants,  its  animals.  That  is  all  history  in  one  sense, 
the  history  of  the  earth,  and  goes  back  thousands  of  years 
before  the  history  of  man  ever  began  at  all.  Man,  in- 
deed, is  the  highest  animal  and  caps  the  story  of  the 
development  of  the  earth.  But  in  the  sense  in  which  it 

1  Smith,  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 

2  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transformation ;  Standard  Bible  Dic- 
tionary, art.  "Animals." 

[12] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

is  ordinarily  used,  history  means  the  story  of  the  life  of  men 
on  earth.  And  Palestine  is  a  remarkable  country  because  of 
its  bearings  upon  the  history  of  men.  In  the  first  place  it 
is  situated  very  near  what  is  supposed  to  be  "  the  cradle  of 
the  human  race  "J  —  the  place  where  the  land  first  became 
fit  for  men  to  live,  where  they  first  appeared  on  the  earth 
and  gradually  developed  into  tribes  and  races.  Palestine  is 
not  the  birthplace  of  the  first  man,  but  it  is  near  enough  to 
the  earliest  developments  of  mankind  to  take  us  away  back 
to  primitive  society  and  conditions  and  show  us  how  those 
early  nomads  lived  —  how  they  began  to  settle  down  and 
become  agriculturists  and  cease  to  wander  about  for  their 
living,  how  commerce  first  began  to  develop  and  merchant 
vessels  to  be  launched  upon  the  sea  by  the  Phoenicians 
and  great  overland  roads  to  be  built  between  cities.  More- 
over, it  lies  upon  the  direct  path  between  the  oldest  civi- 
lizations of  the  world,  Babylonia  and  Egypt,  with  their 
important  cities,  and  it  was  across  this  bridge,  or  pathway, 
that  men  passed  to  and  fro  and  exchanged  ideas  in  the 
earliest  days  of  history.  The  oldest  road  in  the  world  runs 
through  Palestine  —  the  ancient  caravan  route  from  Egypt 
up  the  coast  and  across  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  at  Dothan, 
then  over  the  Jordan  Valley  just  north  of  the  Sea  of  Gal- 
ilee and  on  to  Damascus  and  the  East.  Along  that  road 
came  the  traders  to  whom  Joseph  was  sold  by  his  brethren 
to  be  taken  down  into  Egypt  as  a  slave,  and  along  that 
road  the  caravans  passing  to  and  fro  brought  the  news 
of  the  world  to  this  little  isolated  country  of  Hebrews. 

1  See  George  A.  Barton,  A  Sketch  of  Semitic  Origins,  pp.  13  ff.,  for  a 
brief  resume  of  the  theories  concerning  the  origin  of  the  human  race 
and  of  the  early  branch  known  as  the  Semitic  race. 

[13] 


Doubtless  this  was  why  the  prophets  were  so  well  in- 
formed concerning  the  world's  affairs  of  their  day. 

Palestine  to-day  retains  more  of  the  primitive  setting  of 
society  than  almost  any  other  country,  because  customs 
have  changed  so  very  little  there.1  For  centuries  the 
world's  attention  has  been  on  other  spots  of  the  globe,  so 
far  as  the  progress  of  civilization  is  concerned.  New  con- 
tinents have  been  discovered  with  much  more  promise. 
Men's  minds  and  hearts  have  been  full  of  great  adven- 
tures westward  and  northward  over  Europe  and  America, 
and  latterly  to  the  great  unknown  parts  of  the  older  conti- 
nents, Africa  and  Asia.  They  have  left  Palestine  practi- 
cally to  her  own  devices,  and  for  various  reasons  she  has 
until  very  recently  stood  still,  so  far  as  changing  her  cus- 
toms of  life  is  concerned.  So  if  one  wants  to  see  with  his 
own  eyes  illustrations  of  some  of  the  stories  in  the  Arabian 
Nights,  like  "Ali  Baba  and  the  Forty  Thieves,"  the  borders 
of  Arabia  over  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan  River,  in 
Moab  and  Hauran  and  Edom,  are  good  places  to  visit, 
where  the  roaming  Bedouins  live  in  tents  and  wander 
from  place  to  place  for  pasture  and  where  there  are 
underground  caves  for  robbers,  much  as  in  olden  days. 
Or  let  him  read  the  true  modern  story  of  Sit-Ikwitha, 
"  The  Lady  of  her  Brethren,"  whose  wealth  and  power 
still  sways  the  Lydda  district.2  If  one  becomes  acquainted 
with  the  real  life  of  the  people  off  from  the  regular  lines 
of  tourist  travel,  he  may  see  Abraham  with  his  flocks  by  a 
well  settling  a  dispute  over  the  water  rights,  or  Ruth 

1  P.  J.  Baldensperger,  The  Immovable  East;  Goodrich- Freer,  Things 
Seen  in   Palestine. 

2  Baldensperger,  The  Immovable  East,  p.  197. 

[14] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

gleaning  in  the  field  of  Boaz.  They  still  plow  with  a 
stick  over  there,  so  that  it  is  dangerous  to  look  back  in- 
stead of  keeping  one's  eyes  on  the  plow,  and  their  clan- 
nish spirit  and  family  feuds  are  much  like  the  tales  of  the 
Book  of  Judges.1  The  actual  wells  and  cisterns  and  thresh- 
ing floors  of  ancient  days  may  be  seen.  There  is  an  aque- 
duct near  Jerusalem  with  an  inscription  on  it  written  by 
King  Hezekiah  about  700  B.C.  The  ancient  pillars  of  the 
city  of  Samaria,  that  city  of  "  glorious  beauty  which  is  at 
the  head  of  the  fat  valley,"2  loom  up  now  in  desolate 
ruins  to  commemorate  the  days  of  Omri  and  Herod,  and 
remains  of  the  luxurious  baths  of  Roman  times  are  also 
there.  Going  much  farther  back  than  this  in  the  history 
of  mankind,  there  are  relics  of  the  days  of  primitive  cave 
men,  with  their  flint  implements,  centuries  before  Jerusa- 
lem was  ever  known  to  the  Hebrews.3 

Just  because  Palestine  forms  this  narrow  bridge  between 
two  continents  and  the  two  oldest  civilizations  of  the  world,4 
there  have  traveled  up  and  down  it  through  the  centuries 
a  great  variety  of  races  for  various  purposes — war  and 
conquest,  peace  and  trade,  patriotic  and  religious  devotion. 
Here  is  a  list  of  the  armies  that  have  gone  up  and  down, 
either  to  get  at  Egypt  or  Assyria  or  to  conquer  Palestine 
itself :  the  Babylonians,  the  Assyrians,  the  Egyptians,  the 
Ethiopians,  the  Hittites  (the  strong,  virile  race  marching 
south  from  their  capital  in  Asia  Minor,  where  pictures  of 

1  Baldensperger,  The  Immovable  East ;  Goodrich-Freer,  Things  Seen 
in  Palestine,  p.  73. 

2  Isa.  xxviii,  i. 

3  H.  T.  Fowler,  The  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel,  p.  2  ; 
Kent,  Biblical  Geography  and  History,  p.  88. 

4  Smith,  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 

[15] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

them  are  found  upon  the  rocks  with  toboggan  caps  and 
mittens),  the  Scythians,  the  Persians,  the  Parthians,  the 
Greeks,  the  Romans,  the  Moslems,  the  Mongols,  the 
Turks,  the  Crusaders,  and  Napoleon  with  his  Frenchmen. 
In  1898  the  German  Emperor  made  a  visit,  not  of  war 
but  of  peace,  and  in  honor  of  his  arrival  "  roads  were 
made,  bridges  built,  and  improvements  carried  out  wher- 
ever his  visits  were  looked  for." l  Some  of  the  exploits  of 
these  armies  make  thrilling  tales.  Down  in  Egypt  there 
has  been  discovered  on  the  wall  of  a  temple,  which  re- 
counts the  adventures  and  conquests  of  the  great  King 
Thutmose  III,  a  picture  of  a  vessel  coming  home  from 
Palestine  with  three  heads  of  petty  princes  dangling  from 
the  prow.  There  is  also  an  account  of  how  this  same 
Thutmose  used  to  send  his  army  up  to  the  Plain  of  Es- 
draelon  every  year  to  cut  the  grain  necessary  to  keep  the 
horses  for  his  many  soldiers.  On  one  of  these  expeditions 
the  account  tells  us  that  he  carried  away  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  bushels.  This  was  about  1500  B.C.,  and  the 
battle  field  of  Megiddo,  the  gateway  to  this  fertile  plain, 
where  Thutmose  fought  a  big  battle  and  won  a  great  vic- 
tory, is  one  of  the  very  oldest  battle  fields  known  to  history. 
The  record  says  that  at  this  first  great  conflict  between 
the  Egyptian  and  Asiatic  races  Thutmose  had  his  forces 
ranged  up  the  side  of  Mt.  Carmel  and  declared  that  he 
would  go  forth  at  the  head  of  his  army  himself,  "showing 
the  way  by  his  own  footsteps."2  He  carried  away  this  time 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-four  chariots,  twenty-two  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  horses,  two  hundred  suits  of  armor,  and 

1  Goodrich-Freer,  Things  Seen  in  Palestine,  p.  211. 

2  J.  H.  Breasted,  History  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians,  pp.  225  ff. 

[16] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

the  gorgeous  tent  of  the  king  of  Kadesh,  besides  his 
household  furniture  and  gold  and  silver.  The  great  obe- 
lisk in  Central  Park,  New  York,  is  one  of  the  monuments 
of  this  King  Thutmose.  In  the  British  Museum  in  Lon- 
don is  a  tablet  found  in  Assyria  in  1839  recounting  the 
exploits  of  their  great  King  Sennacherib  and  telling  how 
he  took  away  from  Palestine  as  spoil  "  many  thousands  of 
captives  and  horses,  mules,  asses,  camels,  oxen,  and  sheep 
without  number,"  and  how  King  "  Hezekiah  was  shut  up 
like  a  bird  in  a  cage  in  the  midst  of  Jerusalem."  This 
was  about  700  B.C.  The  story  of  Judas  Maccabeus,  "The 
Hammerer,"  and  the  guerrilla  warfare  against  the  Syrians, 
which  his  small  band  of  loyal  Jews  carried  on  to  victory,1 
is  as  thrilling  as  the  tale  of  David  hiding  in  the  caves 
with  his  band  of  four  hundred  discontented  men,2  the 
"  Coxey's  Army  "  of  his  day.  Herod  the  Great3  won  his 
first  spurs  by  capturing  the  robbers  hiding  under  the  cliffs 
east  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  lowering  his  soldiers  in  baskets 
till  they  were  opposite  the  hiding  men  and  could  thrust 
them  with  their  spears.  The  history  of  the  Crusaders4 
and  the  Knights  Templars  has  been  the  background  for 
many  a  romantic  tale,5  while  the  legend  of  St.  George 
and  the  Dragon  has  its  home  in  Joppa.  To  cap  it  all, 
the  modern  historic  figure  Napoleon  III,6  like  Alexan- 
der the  Great,7  must  try  his  fortune  in  the  Holy  Land. 
Up  north  of  the  Lebanons,  on  the  cliffs  of  the  Dog  River, 

1  About  1 66  B.C.    See  i  Maccabees. 

2  About  1000  B.C.    See  i  Sam.  xxii,  i,  2. 

8  About  40  B.C.    See  Shailer  Mathews,  History  of  New  Testament 
Times  in  Palestine.  4  About  1100-1300  A.D. 

6  See  the  novels  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Marion  Crawford,  and  others. 
6  1860  A.D.  7  332  B.C. 

[17] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

he  erased  the  ancient  inscription  of  the  conquests  of  an 
Egyptian  king  in  order  to  write  his  own  name  there 
as  conqueror  of  the  East.  The  European  or  American 
traveler  to-day  is  known  in  Palestine  as  a  Frank. 

All  this  belongs  to  history,  but  it  belongs  to  geography 
also,  because  it  was  the  situation  of  the  land  which  caused 
these  nations  to  race  back  and  forth  over  it  and  to  quarrel 
continuously  for  its  ownership.  Of  not  much  importance 
in  itself,  it  was  of  great  importance  because  it  was  the 
pathway  between  the  continents.  And  one  of  the  remark- 
able things,  due  very  largely  to  the  character  of  the  coun- 
try, is  that  a  little  people  in  such  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
could  retain  so  strongly  their  individual  characteristics  and 
not  be  swallowed  up  by  the  greedy  powers  hovering  over 
them,  at  the  same  time  bequeathing  to  the  world  so  rich  a 
literature  and  so  great  a  religion.  It  is  doubtless  due 
largely  to  the  facts  that  while  there  was  room  for  a  caravan 
route  along  the  coast,  there  were  no  harbors  to  welcome 
ships  until  the  extreme  north  was  gained,  and  that  while 
this  coast  road  made  an  easy  path  from  Egypt  to  Assyria, 
the  rugged  hills  of  Judea  held  no  attractions  to  lure  the 
traveler  upwards  to  stay  and  make  this  his  home.  The 
prophet  pictured  Jehovah  as  hovering  over  Jerusalem  and 
protecting  her  as  an  eagle  hovers  over  her  nest,  high  upon 
the  rocks,1  and  Jerusalem  was  one  of  the  best  protected 
fortresses  known  in  ancient  history,  high  up  the  mountain 
away  from  the  main  line  of  travel,  and  with  such  steep 
ascents  on  three  sides  that  no  army  could  think  of  enter- 
ing her  walls  except  upon  the  north.  The  lower  lands  of 
Samaria  and  Philistia  were  conquered  and  overrun,  and 

1  Isa.  xxxi.  5. 

[18] 


THE  GEOGRAPHIC  INFLUENCES 

lost  their  tribes  and  identity,  long  before  Judea  gave  in. 
Up  there  at  the  top  of  the  earth  the  Hebrew  prophet  looked 
down  on  the  motley  array  of  the  nations  and  heard  the 
news  of  the  world,  but  he  communed  with  the  God  of 
heaven  and  poured  out  his  poetical  aspirations,  which 
have  lasted  and  will  last  as  enduring  possessions  in  the 
literature  of  the  world. 

That  literature  which  is  embodied  in  the  Old  Testament 
is  only  fragments  of  the  whole  of  Hebrew  literature,  the 
portions  which  escaped  amid  the  exiles  and  burnings  and 
manifold  adventures  and  persecutions  of  the  Hebrew  peo- 
ple ;  but  it  is  among  the  richest  literatures  of  the  world 
and  has  affected  our  own  English  language  more  than 
any  other  literature  has.1  It  is  impossible  to  understand 
our  own  literature,  the  references  and  figures  of  speech 
in  our  own  best  writers,  unless  we  are  familiar  with  the 
Old  Testament  tales  and  lyrics.  Moreover,  it  is  quite  im- 
possible to  understand  the  figures  of  speech  which  the 
Hebrew  poets  and  prophets  used  unless  we  are  familiar 
with  the  physiography  of  Palestine  —  the  winds,  the  fires, 
the  storms,  the  rains,  the  desert  and  its  drought,  the 
mountains  and  their  snows,  the  shepherd's  life,  the  labor 
of  the  vinedresser,  the  refreshing  fragrance  of  the  balsam 
fir,  and  the  blasting  blight  of  a  grasshopper  scourge. 

The  reader  has  doubtless  been  aware  that  at  least  nine 
extreme  statements  have  been  made  concerning  Palestine ; 
yet  they  are  not  extravagant,  but  true  to  fact.  It  is  the 
smallest  country  in  the  world  to  contain  so  varied  a  climate 

1  J.  R.  Green,  Short  History  of  the  English  People,  chap,  viii ;  J.  H. 
Gardiner,  The  Bible  as  English  Literature ;  H.  H.  Home,  Psychologi- 
cal Principles  of  Education,  chap,  xxxiv. 

[19] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

and  landscape.  It  contains  the  most  marked  and  varied  flora 
and  fauna  in  the  world.  It  has  the  most  wonderful  valley 
in  the  world.  The  oldest  road  in  the  world  runs  along  its 
coast.  That  coast  is  one  of  the  most  forbidding  and  harbor- 
less  of  shores.  Palestine  contains  one  of  the  oldest  battle- 
fields of  history  and  one  of  the  most  impregnable  natural 
fortresses  of  the  East.  It  was  the  birthplace  of  one  of  the 
richest  literatures  of  the  world,  though  only  fragments  are 
preserved,  and  it  is  the  background  for  the  religious  life  of 
one  half  of  the  people  of  the  globe.1  This  is  enough  to 
make  one  want  to  know  the  land  of  Palestine. 

There  is,  however,  one  more  reason,  more  superficial, 
but  a  good  one.  These  are  the  days  when  the  whole  earth 
is  circled  by  travelers,  and  trips  to  the  Orient  are  becom- 
ing more  frequent.  The  tour  to  Egypt  and  the  Near  East, 
including  Palestine  and  Damascus,  is  one  now  very  com- 
monly taken.  But  of  all  lands  it  is  impossible  to  appre- 
ciate Palestine  by  hastily  studying  one's  Baedeker  on  the 
journey  or  by  relying  upon  one's  casual  and  disconnected 
knowledge  of  certain  Bible  verses.  There  are  indeed  not 
a  few  familiar  with  the  Bible  text  who  do  not  wish  to  see 
the  land  for  fear  the  bloom  of  their  ideal  will  be  rudely 
brushed  off  by  actual  contact  with  the  barren  hillsides 
and  the  hot  roads.  But  one  who  knows  it  well  says,  "  It 
will  be  generally  found  that  those  who  are  most  disen- 
chanted are  those  who  know  the  country  least."  It  will 
add  immensely  to  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  such  a  trip 
to  have  in  mind  before  one  starts  some  of  the  bearings 
of  physical  geography  upon  the  life  and  literature  of  a 
most  significant  race. 

1  Including  Mohammedans. 
[20] 


PART  II 
OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

SELECTION  I.    THE  COAST 
Isa.  xvii,  12-14 

The  great  prophets  were  great  poets.  They  were  more 
than  mere  poets,  however,  for  their  first  thought,  perhaps 
their  only  conscious  thought,  was  the  burning  message 
they  had  to  give  to  the  people  concerning  the  high  loyal- 
ties demanded  of  them  —  loyalty  to  their  God  and  loyalty 
to  their  national  ideals.  But  so  much  a  part  were  they  of 
nature's  self  that  the  messages  they  spoke  sprang  from 
their  lips  in  the  natural  rhythm  and  with  the  musical  charm 
and  imaginative  expression  of  true  poetry. 

The  Hebrews  were  a  people  of  passionate  feeling,  and 
they  expressed  their  feeling  in  the  sounds  of  nature — not 
only  likening  the  power  of  the  Almighty  to  the  thunder 
and  lightning,  but  imitating  its  crash  and  roll  as  a  storm 
broke  over  the  hills  ;  not  only  seeing  a  great  army  travel- 
ing down  the  old  caravan  road  ready  to  obliterate  any 
enemy  that  stood  in  its  way,  but  actually  hearing  its  noise 
like  the  noise  of  the  waves  booming  against  the  bleak 
coast.  Have  you  ever  heard  the  waves  of  the  ocean  boom  ? 
Go  out  on  the  little  island  of  Monhegan  off  the  Maine  coast 
and  listen  some  day  over  on  the  east  shore  as  the  waves 

[21] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

dash  up  on  those  high  rocks,  or  read  Lowell's  "  Pictures 
from  Appledore  "  and  see  how  magnificently  he  uses  the 
poetical  figure  of  onomatopoeia  —  the  likeness  of  thought 
and  sound  —  in  representing  the  beating  of  the  waves 
against  the  crags  of  Appledore.  This  was  precisely  the 
way  the  Hebrew  prophet  described  his  terror  when  he  saw 
the  armies  of  his  enemy,  Assyria,  approaching,  for  Assyria 
was  Israel's  most  dreaded  foe.  The  Hebrew  poet  heard 
this  "  King  of  Multitudes  " l  coming  like  the  roar  of  the 
waves  on  the  Mediterranean  shore,  that  straight,  bleak,  in- 
hospitable coast,  which  warned  men  off  with  the  unfriendly 
rushing  and  booming  of  the  waters  against  the  sand  and 
bluffs.  This  forms  the  first  strophe  of  this  little  poem.  In 
the  second  the  prophet  sees  the  enemy  chased  and  fleeing 
fast,  as  the  chaff  on  the  out-of-doors  threshing  floor  is 
whirled  off  by  a  great  gust  of  wind  in  harvest  time.  In  the 
third  strophe  he  sums  up  the  fearful  fright  the  people  have 
had  as  if  it  was  all  a  dream.  As  the  night  comes  on  be- 
hold the  terror,  but  in  the  morning  it  is  all  over,  except 
that  the  army  has  left  its  trail  behind,  where  the  soldiers 
have  plundered  the  poor  farms  and  villages  on  the  way. 
In  this  little  poem  the  writer  shows  a  truly  artistic  power 
in  his  use  of  sounds  expressive  of  feelings.  It  is  one  of  the 
finest  examples  in  all  literature  of  such  striking  verbal  effect. 

Ah! 

The  booming  of  many  peoples ! 

Like  the  booming  of  seas  they  boom ! 

And  the  roar  of  mighty  nations ! 

As  with  the  roar  of  waters  do  they  roar ! 

1  This  is  what  this  King  Sennacherib  is  called  on  an  Assyrian  bas- 
relief  in  the  British  Museum.  This  bas-relief  represents  him  seated  on 
a  throne  receiving  the  homage  of  Jewish  captives. 

[22] 


THE  COAST 

But  Jehovah  shall  rebuke  him, 
And  he  shall  flee  far  away  and  be  pursued 
Like  chaff  of  the  mountains  before  the  wind, 
And  as  the  whirling  dust  before  the  tempest. 

At  eventide  —  lo !  terror, 

Ere  morning  he  shall  be  no  more. 

This  shall  be  the  lot  of  them  that  spoil  us, 

And  the  portion  of  them  that  plunder  us.1 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  character  of  the  coast  and  the  importance  of  the  roads,  see 

SMITH,  GEORGE  ADAM.   Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land, 

chap.vii,  "TheCoast."  A.  C.  Armstrong  &  Son,  New  York.  $4.50. 
HASTINGS.    Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  extra  volume,  art.  "  Roads." 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York. 
KENT,  C.  F.  Biblical  Geography  and  History,  chap,  ix,  "  The  Great 

Highways."   The  Pilgrim  Press,  Boston.    $1.50. 
HUNTINGTON,  ELLSWORTH.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston.    $2.00. 

For  the  poetry  of  the  Old  Testament,  see 

GORDON,  A.  R.  The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament,  chap,  i,  "  General 
Characteristics  of  Hebrew  Poetry."  George  H.  Doran  Company, 
New  York.  $1.50. 

For  an  example  in  English  literature  of  the  use  of  onomatop&ia,  see 

LOWELL,  JAMES  RUSSELL.    Pictures  from  Appledore. 
For  the  character  of  the  Assyrian  army,  see 

BYRON,  LORD.   The  Destruction  of  Sennacherib. 
Bible   dictionaries   and   encyclopaedias,   arts.    "  Assyrians "   and 
"  Sennacherib." 

For  the  historical  setting  of  this  passage,  see 

DRIVER,  S.  R.  Isaiah :  his  Life  and  Times,  chap,  vii,  "  The  Great 
Deliverance."  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  75  cents. 

1  Translation  in  International  Critical  Commentary. 
[23] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

For  the  religious  influence  of  nature,  see 

VAN  DYKE,  HENRY.    The  God  of  the  Open  Air. 
TENNYSON,  ALFRED.  "  Flower  in  the  crannied  wall." 

For  the  influence  of  roads  in  literature,  see 

BURROUGHS,  JOHN.   The  Exhilarations  of  the  Road. 
WHITMAN,  WALT.   The  Open  Road. 
GRAYSON,  DAVID.   The  Friendly  Road. 

Underwood  &  Underwood's  Stereographs  of  Palestine  are  highly 
recommended  for  illustration  of  all  these  selections.  Address  Under- 
wood &  Underwood,  417  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 


[24] 


SELECTION  II.    THE  ROADS 
THE  STORY  OF  JOSEPH  AND  HIS  BRETHREN 

Gen.  xxxvii 

This  selection  illustrates  again  the  importance  of  the 
old  coast  road,  not  only  for  armies  to  pass  up  and  down 
from  Assyria  to  Egypt  but  for  traders  who  wished  to  go 
from  Nineveh  or  Damascus  or  any  of  the  lesser  towns 
along  the  way  down  to  the  emporiums  of  the  South, 
either  Memphis  or  Thebes  on  the  Nile,  or  the  cities  in 
the  Delta  before  the  capitals  should  be  reached.  It  was 
not  safe  to  travel  alone  over  there  in  olden  times  any 
more  than  it  is  now.  Travelers  to-day  go  through  Pales- 
tine in  parties ;  travelers  then  went  through  in  caravans, 
picking  up  merchandise  and  news  by  the  way.  The  roads 
which  pass  across  the  country  are  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting features  ;  in  ancient  times  they  must  have  been 
especially  so,  with  all  the  caravans  of  various  sizes  and 
sorts  appearing  and  then  disappearing  again  in  the  dis- 
tance. Egypt  and  Babylonia  were  the  rich  markets  of  the 
world  in  those  days,  and  this  Palestine  road,  which  is  the 
oldest  road  in  the  world,  was  the  great  trunk  line  between 
them.  Sometimes  these  caravans  would  consist  of  mer- 
chants with  donkeys  and  camels  loaded  down  with  sacks 
of  grain.  Sometimes  more  important  persons  would  be 
journeying  from  one  country  to  another  with  a  bodyguard 

[25] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

of  soldiers  and  a  whole  retinue  of  servants.  Sometimes  it 
would  be  a  king's  messenger  running  to  carry  word  to  his 
master  of  the  victory  or  defeat  of  the  army.  Ambassadors 
to  the  court  would  pass  along,  too,  bringing  presents  or 
tribute  to  pacify  the  man  they  feared.  Then  again  it 
would  be  a  procession  of  poor,  humble  people,  barefoot 
peasants  and  a  group  of  neighbors  from  some  village,  who 
had  errands  further  on  the  way.  They  could  easily  carry 
their  possessions  in  their  girdles  or  in  bundles  swung  over 
their  shoulders.1  A  few  of  the  caravans  that  came  toiling 
along  the  way  from  Egypt  to  the  East  chose  the  road 
through  Petra  and  Arabia,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jor- 
dan, but  most  of  them  took  the  coast  road  which  branched 
off  south  of  Carmel  and  led  through  the  attractive  and 
fertile  valley  of  Dothan.  Dothan  was  the  place  where  the 
main  scene  of  the  story  of  Joseph  is  laid.  The  home  of 
Joseph's  family  was  Hebron,  in  the  south  of  Palestine, 
but  they  were  still  nomads  wandering  hither  and  yon 
with  their  flocks  to  find  pasturage.  These  brothers  had 
wandered  this  time  as  far  north  as  Dothan,  which  was  a 
very  fertile  region,  green  with  grass  when  the  fields  about 
Hebron,  so  near  the  desert,  would  be  dry.  The  pit  where 

1  This  girdle  is  the  most  important  item  of  the  peasant's  dress  to-day. 
"  Though  his  bodily  wants  may  be  few,  he  requires  a  large  number  of 
articles  ever  to  hand,  hence  the  girdle  serves  the  purpose  of  an  indis- 
pensable storeroom.  Upon  it  are  suspended  chains,  hooks,  pouches 
and  horns  to  hold  knives,  daggers,  clubs,  powder  and  shot,  flint  and 
steel,  tinder,  packneedles  and  thread,  pipes,  tobacco  and  cigarette 
papers,  razors  and  combs,  handkerchiefs  and  documents.  A  man  with- 
out his  girdle  was  always  considered  in  the  East  to  be  in  a  position  of 
inferiority ;  very  much  as  an  Occidental  would  be  in  his  nightgown. 
The  command  'gird  up  thy  loins'  meant  —  be  ready  for  an  emergency. 
Without  his  girdle  a  man  was  unprepared  either  for  war  or  for  journey- 
ing." —  Baldensperger,  The  Immovable  East. 

[26] 


JOSEPH'S  WELL 


THE  ROADS 

they  hid  Joseph  to  get  him  out  of  the  way  was  doubtless 
an  old  cistern.  An  ancient  well  is  there  to-day. 

This  chapter  in  Genesis  illustrates  also  the  marvelous 
power  the  Hebrews  had  in  telling  stories.  In  the  earliest 
days  of  any  nation's  history,  Greek  and  Roman,  German, 
Scotch  and  English,  and  preeminently  of  the  oriental  peo- 
ples, there  used  to  be  story-tellers,  who  would  sit  around 
the  camp  fires  at  night  and  either  sing  or  tell  the  tales  of  the 
early  tribal  history  —  love  stories,  war  stories,  hero  stories 
of  all  sorts.  Story-telling  is  now  coming  to  be  a  revived 
art.  To-day  we  have  professional  story-tellers,  people  who 
have  come  to  appreciate  the  high  art,  the  nai've  simplicity, 
the  rich  imagery,  the  power  to  interest  both  old  and  young, 
which  good  stories  hold.  But  all  who  are  adepts  at  story- 
telling agree  that  there  are  no  better  tales  to  tell,  from 
any  of  these  standpoints,  than  the  stories  of  the  Bible. 
Teachers  of  English  in  our  colleges  urge  their  students  to 
go  to  the  Old  Testament  to  find  out  how  to  tell  stories, 
and  the  Story-Tellers'  League  recommends  Bible  stories  as 
affording  the  richest  of  material. 

Among  the  cycles  of  stories  in  the  Old  Testament  the 
Joseph  stories  rank  very  high  from  the  story-teller's  point 
of  view.  Their  hero  is  attractive,  they  are  full  of  interest- 
ing detail,  the  progress  of  the  scenes  is  rapid;  there  is 
vivid  contrast  in  the  characters  introduced,  in  the  coun- 
tries depicted,  and  in  the  fortunes  of  the  chief  actors  ; 
there  are  suspense  and  hints  of  tragedy  as  the  story  pro- 
ceeds, but  it  all  turns  out  right  at  the  end.  Every  child 
should  hear  this  story  for  its  own  sake  and  every  child 
should  know  about  Joseph  and  his  coat  of  many  colors 
in  order  to  appreciate  the  many  references  to  them  in 

[27] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

literature.  Let  him  see  the  little  brother  Joseph,  the 
spoiled  child  of  the  family,  bragging  even  in  his  dreams  ; 
the  exasperation  of  his  older  brothers  and  their  plan  to 
get  rid  of  him  ;  the  kindheartedness  underneath  the  rough 
exterior  of  Reuben ;  the  Ishmaelite  caravan  coming  from 
the  East  with  goods  of  all  sorts  to  sell  in  Egypt — not  only 
spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh,  but  even  slaves  picked  up 
on  the  way ;  the  stop  they  made  at  Dothan  as  the  brothers 
were  eating  their  noonday  meal ;  the  denouement  of  it  all 
when,  with  the  silver  in  their  pockets,  they  saw  the  last 
camels  disappear  down  the  coast  road,  bearing  their  little 
brother  off  to  Egypt  as  a  slave ;  and  the  hurry  with  which 
they  concocted  a  plausible  story  to  tell  their  father  while 
they  dyed  Joseph's  pretty  coat  in  the  blood  of  a  goat.  The 
child  will  be  sure  to  ask  if  that  is  all,  and  you  must  tell  him 
the  rest ;  but  this  is  enough  for  our  purpose  now,  to  show 
how  even  the  roads  of  a  land  enter  into  its  literature. 

And  Jacob  dwelt  in  the  land  of  his  father's  sojournings,  in  the 
land  of  Canaan.  These  are  the  generations  of  Jacob.  Joseph,  being 
seventeen  years  old,  was  feeding  the  flock  with  his  brethren ;  and  he 
was  a  lad  with  the  sons  of  Bilhah,  and  with  the  sons  of  Zilpah,  his 
father's  wives :  and  Joseph  brought  the  evil  report  of  them  unto 
their  father.  Now  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than  all  his  children, 
because  he  was  the  son  of  his  old  age :  and  he  made  him  a  coat  of 
many  colors.  And  his  brethren  saw  that  their  father  loved  him  more 
than  all  his  brethren ;  and  they  hated  him,  and  could  not  speak 
peaceably  unto  him. 

And  Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,  and  he  told  it  to  his  brethren:  and 
they  hated  him  yet  the  more.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Hear,  I  pray 
you,  this  dream  which  I  have  dreamed :  for,  behold,  we  were  binding 
sheaves  in  the  field,  and,  lo,  my  sheaf  arose,  and  also  stood  upright ; 
and,  behold,  your  sheaves  came  round  about,  and  made  obeisance  to 

[28] 


THE  ROADS 

my  sheaf.  And  his  brethren  said  to  him,  Shalt  thou  indeed  reign 
over  us?  or  shalt  thou  indeed  have  dominion  over  us?  And  they 
hated  him  yet  the  more  for  his  dreams,  and  for  his  words.  And  he 
dreamed  yet  another  dream,  and  told  it  to  his  brethren,  and  said, 
Behold,  I  have  dreamed  yet  a  dream ;  and,  behold,  the  sun  and  the 
moon  and  eleven  stars  made  obeisance  to  me.  And  he  told  it  to  his 
father,  and  to  his  brethren ;  and  his  father  rebuked  him,  and  said 
unto  him,  What  is  this  dream  that  thou  hast  dreamed  ?  Shall  I  and 
thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  indeed  come  to  bow  down  ourselves  to 
thee  to  the  earth  ?  And  his  brethren  envied  him ;  but  his  father  kept 
the  saying  in  mind. 

And  his  brethren  went  to  feed  their  father's  flock  in  Shechem. 
And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  Are  not  thy  brethren  feeding  the  flock 
in  Shechem  ?  come,  and  I  will  send  thee  unto  them.  And  he  said  to 
him,  Here  am  I.  And  he  said  to  him,  Go  now,  see  whether  it  is  well 
with  thy  brethren,  and  well  with  the  flock;  and  bring  me  word 
again.  So  he  sent  him  out  of  the  vale  of  Hebron,  and  he  came  to 
Shechem.  And  a  certain  man  found  him,  and,  behold,  he  was  wan- 
dering in  the  field :  and  the  man  asked  him,  saying,  What  seekest 
thou  ?  And  he  said,  I  am  seeking  my  brethren :  tell  me,  I  pray  thee, 
where  they  are  feeding  the  flock.  And  the  man  said,  They  are 
departed  hence;  for  I  heard  them  say,  Let  us  go  to  Dothan.  And 
Joseph  went  after  his  brethren,  and  found  them  in  Dothan. 

And  they  saw  him  afar  off,  and  before  he  came  near  unto  them, 
they  conspired  against  him  to  slay  him.  And  they  said  one  to 
another,  Behold,  this  dreamer  cometh.'  Come  now  therefore,  and  let 
us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into  one  of  the  pits,  and  we  will  say,  An 
evil  beast  hath  devoured  him :  and  we  shall  see  what  will  become  of 
his  dreams.  And  Reuben  heard  it,  and  delivered  him  out  of  their 
hand,  and  said,  Let  us  not  take  his  life.  And  Reuben  said  unto 
them,  Shed  no  blood ;  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilderness, 
but  lay  no  hand  upon  him :  that  he  might  deliver  him  out  of  their 
hand,  to  restore  him  to  his  father.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joseph 
was  come  unto  his  brethren,  that  they  stripped  Joseph  of  his  coat, 
the  coat  of  many  colors  that  was  on  him;  and  they  took  him,  and 
cast  him  into  the  pit :  and  the  pit  was  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it 

[29] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  they  sat  down  to  eat  bread :  and  they  lifted  up  their  eyes 
and  looked,  and,  behold,  a  caravan  of  Ishmaelites  was  coming  from 
Gilead,  with  their  camels  bearing  spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh,  going 
to  carry  it  down  to  Egypt.  And  Judah  said  unto  his  brethren,  What 
profit  is  it  if  we  slay  our  brother  and  conceal  his  blood  ?  Come,  and 
let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites,  and  let  not  our  hand  be  upon  him ; 
for  he  is  our  brother,  our  flesh.  And  his  brethren  hearkened  unto 
him.  And  there  passed  by  Midianites,  merchantmen ;  and  they  drew 
and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the  pit,  and  sold  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites 
for  twenty  pieces  of  silver.  And  they  brought  Joseph  into  Egypt. 

And  Reuben  returned  unto  the  pit;  and,  behold,  Joseph  was  not 
in  the  pit ;  and  he  rent  his  clothes.  And  he  returned  unto  his  breth- 
ren, and  said,  The  child  is  not;  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go?  And 
they  took  Joseph's  coat,  and  killed  a  he-goat,  and  dipped  the  coat  in 
the  blood ;  and  they  sent  the  coat  of  many  colors,  and  they  brought 
it  to  their  father,  and  said,  This  have  we  found :  know  now  whether 
it  is  thy  son's  coat  or  not.  And  he  knew  it,  and  said,  It  is  my  son's 
coat;  an  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him ;  Joseph  is  without  doubt  torn 
in  pieces.  And  Jacob  rent  his  garments,  and  put  sackcloth  upon  his 
loins,  and  mourned  for  his  son  many  days.  And  all  his  sons  and  all 
his  daughters  rose  up  to  comfort  him;  but  he  refused  to  be  com- 
forted ;  and  he  said,  For  I  will  go  down  to  Sheol  to  my  son  mourning. 
And  his  father  wept  for  him.  And  the  Midianites  sold  him  into  Egypt 
unto  Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh's,  the  captain  of  the  guard. 

SUGGESTED   READINGS   FOR  THE   TEACHER  OR  CLASS 
For  roads  and  caravans,  see 

HUNTINGTON,  ELLSWORTH.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation, 

pp.  158-159- 
For  the  art  of  story-telling,  see 

BALDWIN,  C.  S.    How  to  Write,  chap,  iii,  "  How  to  tell  a  Story." 

The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York.    50  cents. 
ST.  JOHN,  E.  P.    Stories  and  Story-Telling.    The  Pilgrim  Press, 

Boston.    60  cents. 

BRYANT,  SARA  CONE.   How  to  tell  Stories  to  Children.    Hough- 
ton  Mifflin  Company.   $1.00. 

[30] 


THE  ROADS 

HOUGHTON,  LOUISE  SEYMOUR.  Telling  Bible  Stories,  chap,  vii, 
"  Hero  Tales."  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.  $1.25. 

HERVEY,  WALTER  L.  Picture  Work,  chap,  v,  "  Stories  and  Story- 
Telling."  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  25  cents. 

For  stories  retold,  including  Bible  stories,  see 

BRYANT,  SARA  CONE.    Stories  to  tell  to  Children.   Houghton 

Mifflin  Company,  Boston.    $1.00. 
SALISBURY,  GRACE  E.,  and  BECKWITH,  MARIE  E.    Index  to 

Short  Stories.    Row,  Peterson  &  Co.,  Chicago.    50  cents. 
List  of  Good  Stories  to  tell  to  Children  under  Twelve  Years  of 

Age.    Carnegie  Library  of  Pittsburgh.    5  cents. 
GASKOM,  MRS.  HERMAN.    Children's  Treasury  of  Bible  Stories. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.    $1.25. 
HODGES,  GEORGE.  The  Garden  of  Eden,  chap,  vii,  "  The  Coat  of 

Many  Colors."    Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston.   $1.50. 
BALDWIN,  JAMES.   Old  Stories  from  the  East.   American  Book 

Company,  New  York.   45  cents. 


SELECTION  III.    THE  HILLS 

Ps.  xxiv,  7-10  (xxiii,  7-10,  Douay) ;  Ps.  cxxi  (cxx,  Douay) ;  Ps.  cxxv,  i,  2 
(cxxiv,  i,  2,  Douay);  Gen.  xxii,  1-18;  Isa.  xxx,  15-17;  Isa.  xxxi,  i,  3-5. 

Although  Palestine  was  open  to  the  world  along  the 
coast,  where  the  foreigner  traveled  freely  with  his  armies 
and  his  merchandise,  the  Judean  hills  were  a  naturally  for- 
tified region  which  by  their  very  ruggedness  and  isolation 
protected  the  inhabitants  from  unwelcome  visitors.  Upon 
the  very  top  of  this  range  of  mountains  looms  Mount 
Zion,  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  This  was 
the  spot  which  David  very  wisely  chose  for  his  capital.  Jeru- 
salem, however,  was  already  an  ancient  city  in  David's 
time,  about  1000  B.C.,  the  time  of  the  heroes  of  Homer's 
stories.  Jerusalem  was  much  older  than  Abraham,  even, 
for  it  was  there  before  we  know  anything  at  all  of  Hebrew 
history.  When  David  dedicated  this  mount  as  his  capital 
and  as  the  place  of  worship  for  the  God  of  his  nation,  he 
wrote  a  dedication  hymn.  This  was  doubtless  to  be  sung 
as  the  procession  of  people  wound  its  way  up  the  hill  with 
the  ark.1  In  this  hymn  David  speaks  of  the  gates  of  the 
city  as  everlasting  doors.  The  literal  meaning  of  the  word 
translated  "everlasting"  is  "ancient,"  exceedingly  old — so 

1  There  is  some  question  concerning  the  Davidic  origin  of  this  Psalm, 
but  Professor  Briggs  says,  "  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  a  Psalm  could  bet- 
ter fit  a  historical  situation,"  and  Professor  Gordon  thinks  that  while  its 
setting  belongs  to  a  much  later  period,  these  verses  (7  ff.)  "  strike  the 
antique  note  "  of  the  Davidic  times  (International  Critical  Commentary, 
"  Psalms,"  and  Gordon,  The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament). 

[32] 


THE  HILLS 

old  that  no  one  can  remember  when  they  were  first  placed 
there.  The  earliest  people  who  inhabited  the  land  saw  the 
possibilities  of  this  high  hill  as  a  fortress.  There  is  evi- 
dence that  even  back  behind  the  history  of  civilization  the 
cave  men  sought  refuge  within  a  few  miles  of  here. 

When  King  David  ascended  the  throne  he  brought 
with  him  not  only  a  remarkable  genius  for  seeing  what 
ought  to  be  done  to  make  his  kingdom  strong  but  also 
the  ability  to  accomplish  it.  One  of  the  things  which  he 
saw  very  plainly  was  that  his  army  must  not  only  conquer 
the  enemy  in  the  battlefield  but  there  must  be  a  capital 
so  well  fortified  that  no  enemy  could  surprise  them  and 
take  it  away.  This  he  found  in  Jerusalem.  The  old  city 
stood  the  test  of  time  well,  resisting  many  an  attack 
until  it  was  the  very  last  city  to  fall  before  the  Babylonians 
carried  the  people  away  captive.  David  also  saw  that  if 
his  people  were  to  be  loyal  to  their  God  they  must  have  a 
central  place  to  worship,  where  they  would  all  come  to- 
gether from  time  to  time  with  united  enthusiasm.  The 
king  was  a  musician  and  a  singer,  as  well  as  a  warrior, 
with  the  dramatic  feeling  of  an  Oriental.  He  knew  how 
to  draw  out  the  enthusiasm  of  a  crowd  and  to  make  use 
of  it  for  noble  purposes.  Therefore  as  the  people  came 
together  on  this  great  occasion,  he  had  them  march  up  the 
hill  bearing  the  ark  of  Jehovah  and  singing  the  song  he  had 
composed.  It  is  thought  that  he  had  a  choir,  perhaps  two 
choirs,  singing  in  the  procession,  and  a  soloist  standing  on 
the  wall.  As  the  choir  approached  the  city  gates  they  sang, 

Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ; 
And  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  ancient  doors, 
And  the  King  of  Glory  will  come  in. 

[33] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Then  the  soloist  on  the  rampart  replied, 
Who  is  the  King  of  Glory? 

Then  all  the  people  answered, 

Jehovah,  strong  and  mighty, 
Jehovah,  mighty  in  battle. 

The  choir  once  more  challenged  the  city  gates : 

Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates ; 
Yea,  lift  them  up,  ye  ancient  doors, 
And  the  King  of  Glory  will  come  in. 

Once  more  the  soloist  sang  out, 

Who  is  this  King  of  Glory  ? 

And  the  people  replied, 

Jehovah  of  hosts, 

He  is  the  King  of  Glory. 

Thus  David  took  this  citadel  for  the  dwelling  place  of  his 
God  Jehovah  and  for  the  capital  of  his  nation.  In  true 
loftiness  of  spirit  he  had  arranged  the  entire  pageant  to 
impress  the  people  with  the  fact  that  it  was  not  David, 
with  his  brilliant  career,  but  Jehovah,  who  was  their  great 
King,  Jehovah,  "  the  King  of  Glory." 

In  later  years  some  one  probably  added  to  this  hymn 
the  first  part  of  the  Psalm,  for  it  is  in  an  altogether  differ- 
ent style,  not  nearly  so  poetical  nor  so  musical.  In  these 
few  verses  we  doubtless  have  one  of  the  very  oldest  hymns 
of  the  nation,  and  even  with  the  additions  it  is  a  noble  song 
worthy  to  be  named  "  The  Grand  Processional." 

There  are  other  hymns  in  the  great  hymn  book  of  the 
Hebrews,  the  Book  of  Psalms,  which  celebrate  Jerusalem 
and  will  forever  perpetuate  the  high  regard  this  people 

[34] 


THE  HILLS 

had  for  their  holy  city.  A  collection  of  fifteen  such  songs 
within  the  book  (Ps.  cxx-cxxxiv)  is  called  "  The  Pilgrim 
Psalter."  These  songs  are  lyrics  of  wonderful  power  and 
grace.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  people  to  sing  them  on 
their  journeys  up  to  the  great  festivals  held  in  Jerusalem. 
Imagine  a  caravan  of  people  coming  from  the  north  country, 
picking  up  their  relatives  and  neighbors  in  the  villages 
through  which  they  went,  camping  out  by  the  wayside  over 
night  and  singing  their  national  hymns  by  the  camp  fire. 
As  the  Judean  hills  came  closer  and  Mount  Zion  burst  upon 
their  view,  they  would  break  out  with  such  a  song  as  this : 

I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  mountains : 
From  whence  shall  my  help  come  ? 
My  help  cometh  from  Jehovah, 
Who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

In  their  journeying  they  would  know  the  need  of  a  firm 
foot  for  climbing,  of  protection  as  they  slept,  of  a  merciful 
Providence  that  would  keep  them  both  from  sunstroke  by 
day  and  from  moonstroke,  or  the  lunacy  or  epilepsy  that 
they  believed  came  often  from  sleeping  in  the  moonlight 
They  looked  to  Jehovah  to  keep  them  from  all  evil. 

There  is  something  always  uplifting  about  the  hills.  The 
very  fact  of  looking  up  to  a  noble  peak  draws  out  the  as- 
pirations of  one's  heart  to  climb  upwards  and  be  noble. 
Washington  Gladden,  one  of  our  own  hymn  writers,  is  a 
Williams  College  man.  Going  back  once  to  the  scene  of 
his  college  days  among  the  Berkshire  Hills,  he  was  im- 
pressed anew  with  the  wonderful  drawing  power  of  the 
hills  themselves.  Upon  his  return  home  from  a  walk  on 
Stone  Hill  he  sat  down  and  composed  "  The  Mountains," 

[35] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

which  has  ever  since  been  the  Williams  College  song. 
Every  year  when  Williams  men  gather  with  their  class- 
mates around  the  banquet  table  or  at  commencement  to 
sing  the  praises  of  their  Alma  Mater,  it  is 

The  Mountains  !  the  Mountains ! 
We  greet  them  with  a  song, 

which  rings  out  the  most  feelingly. 

The  fact  of  being  on  a  high  place  and  looking  down 
over  the  world  and  up  to  the  "  all  uncharted  seas  "  of  the 
sky  with  its  myriads  of  stars  lifts  one's  heart  up  to  the 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth.  Nature  lovers  feel  this  keenly 
to-day,  but  perhaps  not  nearly  to  the  extent  that  those 
ancient  people  felt  it,  in  their  out-of-door  life,  seeking 
the  "  high  places  "  as  their  places  of  prayer. 

How  much  those  "  high  places  "  meant  in  stirring  up 
lofty  thoughts  and  giving  birth  to  great  religions  we  are 
just  beginning  to  appreciate.  Archaeologists  have  recently 
made  interesting  discoveries  in  their  excavations  of  the  city 
of  Petra  in  Edom,  seventy  miles  southeast  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
This  old  city  is  true  to  its  name  Petra,  which  means  "rock," 
for  its  buildings  were  not  built  stone  upon  stone  but  hewn 
out  of  the  living  rock.  There  is  no  other  city  of  the  world 
to  compare  with  Petra  in  this  respect,  for  temples,  sanctu- 
aries and  a  theater  are  constructed  in  this  manner,  with 
elaborate  pillars,  carvings,  and  color  designs.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  of  the  excavations  has  been  that  of  the 
Great  High  Place  on  the  top  of  one  of  the  highest  and 
most  conspicuous  of  the  neighboring  mountain  peaks,  with 
an  elevation  of  3600  feet.  Niches  about  a  hundred  feet 
apart  for  statues  and  pillars,  and  the  ruins  of  a  watchtower, 

[36] 


THE  HILLS 

are  to  be  seen  on  these  stairways.  Some  of  these  adorn- 
ments were  doubtless  placed  there  in  mediaeval  times,  and 
the  elaborate  sanctuary  with  its  altars  and  seats  for  wor- 
shipers dates  perhaps  not  farther  back  than  300  B.C.,  but 
the  "  high  place  "  itself,  with  its  simple  raised  platform 
cut  away  from  the  rest  of  the  rock,  was  doubtless  a  sacred 
shrine,  a  place  of  prayer  in  the  very  early  days  of  the 
Semitic  race.  Up  there  on  that  high,  lonely  mountain, 
looking  down  over  the  valleys  and  off  to  the  high  peaks 
beyond,  and  above  to  the  heavens,  with  nothing  between 
themselves  and  the  greatness  of  God,  men  poured  out  their 
petitions  to  the  Deity  and  offered  their  sacrifices  of  grati- 
tude for  favors  or  of  propitiation  for  sin.  About  twenty- 
five  of  these  "  high  places  "  have  been  discovered  near 
Petra,  and  this  is  only  one  illustration  of  the  prevalence, 
throughout  the  whole  region,  of  shrines  upon  the  summits 
of  the  hills.  Worship  on  such  lofty  places  surely  had  much 
to  do  in  developing  the  high  religious  ideals  of  the  Semites. 
In  time  the  Hebrews  outgrew  the  primitive  worship  at 
the  "  high  places  "  of  the  tribes  around  them  and  built  a 
glorious  temple  on  Mount  Zion,  but  it  was  nevertheless  the 
expression  of  the  same  craving  for  the  high  and  lofty. 
Such  a  song  as  the  one  hundred  twenty-first  Psalm  was 
worthy  of  being  a  national  hymn,  because  when  the  people 
looked  up  to  the  hills  they  spoke  of  God  in  their  hearts. 

I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  mountains : 

From  whence  shall  my  help  come  ? 

My  help  cometh  from  Jehovah, 

Who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot  to  be  moved : 

He  that  keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber. 

[37] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel 

Will  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. 

Jehovah  is  thy  keeper : 

Jehovah  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand. 

The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day, 

Nor  the  moon  by  night. 

Jehovah  will  keep  thee  from  all  evil ; 

He  will  keep  thy  soul. 

Jehovah  will  keep  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in 

From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore. 

Another  of  these  hymns  in  the  Pilgrim  Psalter  begins 

They  that  trust  in  Jehovah 

Are  as  Mount  Zion,  which  cannot  be  moved, 

but  abideth  for  ever. 

As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 
So  Jehovah  is  round  about  his  people 
From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore.1 


ABRAHAM  ON  MOUNT  MORIAH 

Gen.  xxii,  1-18 

It  was  to  one  of  these  "high  places" — Mount  Moriah — 
that  Abraham,  in  the  very  earliest  Hebrew  history,  took 
his  son  Isaac  to  sacrifice  him  to  Jehovah.  It  seems  a  very 
strange  thing  to  us  that  any  father  who  loved  his  boy  could 
think  of  doing  such  a  barbarous  deed,  but  we  must  re- 
member, that  was  a  barbarous,  half-civilized  age,  when  it 
was  the  custom  of  the  heathen  tribes  in  Canaan  to  sacri- 
fice their  first-born  sons  to  their  gods.  This  was  doubtless 
the  way  Abraham  reasoned  :  "  Jehovah  is  my  God,  and  I 
must  show  that  I  regard  him  as  highly  as  any  of  these 

1  PS.  CXXV,  I,  2. 

[38] 


THE  HILLS 

other  tribes  regard  their  gods.  They  sacrifice  the  most 
precious  things  they  have,  not  only  the  first-born  of  their 
flocks  but  their  first-born  sons,  to  show  to  what  length 
they  will  go  in  loyalty  to  their  gods,  and  so  I  must  show 
my  loyalty  to  Jehovah  by  giving  my  very  best  to  him."  It 
is  true  God  asked  him  to  give  his  best ;  our  God  always 
asks  our  very  best.  But  it  was  up  there  on  the  "  high 
place,"  communing  with  the  spiritual  God  of  heaven,  that 
Abraham  found  out  that  the  true  God  does  not  demand 
such  barbarous  deeds  in  presenting  to  him  the  best  we 
have.  Abraham  there  learned  that  we  please  God  much 
better  by  a  consecrated  life  than  by  a  bloody  death  —  that 
we  should  be  ready  to  die  for  our  faith,  indeed,  if  neces- 
sary, but  that  useless  sacrifice  of  life  God  not  only  does 
not  require  but  forbids.  This  was  a  great  step  in  the  evo- 
lution of  religion.  When  the  world  learned  that,  it  learned 
a  great  lesson,  yet  it  has  not  wholly  learned  it  even  to  this 
day,  for  men  still  sacrifice  children  in  sweatshops  and 
factories.  Abraham  was  one  of  the  world's  greatest  reli- 
gious geniuses,  because  up  there  on  that  "  high  place"  he 
had  the  clarified  vision  to  recognize  the  truth.  Other  races 
have  similar  tales  (as,  for  example,  the  Greek  story  of  Iphi- 
genia),  but  no  other  story  rises  to  the  sublime  height  of 
religious  perception  which  this  story  of  Abraham  and  Isaac 
contains.  This  story  has  held  the  interest  of  many  genera- 
tions and  is  one  of  the  best-told  in  the  Old  Testament. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  God  did  prove  Abra- 
ham, and  said  unto  him,  Abraham ;  and  he  said,  Here  am  I.  And 
he  said,  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  whom  thou  lovest,  even 
Isaac,  and  get  thee  into  the  land  of  Moriah ;  and  offer  him  there  for 
a  burnt-offering  upon  one  of  the  mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee  of. 

[39] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  Abraham  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  saddled  his  ass,  and  took 
two  of  his  young  men  with  him,  and  Isaac  his  son ;  and  he  clave  the 
wood  for  the  burnt-offering,  and  rose  up,  and  went  unto  the  place  of 
which  God  had  told  him.  On  the  third  day  Abraham  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  and  saw  the  place  afar  off.  And  Abraham  said  unto  his  young 
men,  Abide  ye  here  with  the  ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder ; 
and  we  will  worship,  and  come  again  to  you.  And  Abraham  took  the 
wood  of  the  burnt-offering,  and  laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son;  and  he 
took  in  his  hand  the  fire  and  the  knife ;  and  they  went  both  of  them 
together.  And  Isaac  spake  unto  Abraham  his  father,  and  said,  My 
father :  and  he  said,  Here  am  I,  my  son.  And  he  said,  Behold,  the 
fire  and  the  wood :  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering  ?  And 
Abraham  said,  God  will  provide  himself  the  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering, 
my  son :  so  they  went  both  of  them  together. 

And  they  came  to  the  place  which  God  had  told  him  of;  and 
Abraham  built  the  altar  there,  and  laid  the  wood  in  order,  and  bound 
Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar,  upon  the  wood.  And  Abraham 
stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  took  the  knife  to  slay  his  son.  And  the 
angel  of  Jehovah  called  unto  him  out  of  heaven,  and  said,  Abraham, 
Abraham :  and  he  said,  Here  am  I.  And  he  said,  Lay  not  thy  hand 
upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou  anything  unto  him ;  for  now  I  know 
that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine 
only  son,  from  me.  And  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked, 
and,  behold,  behind  him  a  ram  caught  in  the  thicket  by  his  horns : 
and  Abraham  went  and  took  the  ram,  and  offered  him  up  for  a  burnt- 
offering  in  the  stead  of  his  son.  And  Abraham  called  the  name  of 
that  place  Jehovah-jireh :  as  it  is  said  to  this  day,  In  the  mount  of 
Jehovah  it  shall  be  provided.  And  the  angel  of  Jehovah  called  unto 
Abraham  a  second  time  out  of  heaven,  and  said,  By  myself  have  I 
sworn,  saith  Jehovah,  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and  hast  not 
withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  that  in  blessing  I  will  bless  thee, 
and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heavens, 
and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  seashore ;  and  thy  seed  shall  possess 
the  gate  of  his  enemies ;  and  in  thyyseed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  be  blessed ;  because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice. 


[40] 


THE  HILLS 
ISAIAH'S  WARNING 

Isa.  xxx,  15-17  ;  Isa.  xxxi,  i,  3-5 

The  natural  strength  which  Israel  had  in  the  hills  was 
seen  by  the  great  prophets  as  well  as  by  David.  Some  of 
them  realized  the  danger  that  such  a  little  nation  would  in- 
cur if  she  tried  to  fight  with  the  formidable  hosts  of  the 
Assyrians  and  Egyptians  in  the  kind  of  warfare  they  were 
accustomed  to  and  with  their  weapons ;  they  realized  also 
that  Israel  might  utterly  defeat  her  enemies,  or  at  least 
escape  them  entirely,  if  she  clung  to  the  advantages  of  her 
own  rustic  home  training,  just  as  David  with  his  sling  had 
the  advantage  over  the  Philistine  and  his  sword.1  The 
Hebrews  were  experts  at  guerrilla  warfare,  that  is,  hiding 
in  small  bands  among  the  hills  and  in  caves,  and  spring- 
ing out  unexpectedly  upon  the  enemy,  much  as  our  Indians 
used  to  do  in  the  forests.  David  used  this  method  most 
successfully.2  Judas  Maccabeus  won  his  victories  that 
way.3  On  the  other  hand,  the  Assyrians  and  Egyptians 
fought  best  out  in  the  open,  with  great  armies,  with  horses 
and  chariots  and  much  display  of  power.  This  they  could 
do  on  the  plains  but  not  on  the  rocky  hillsides.  Chariots 
were  of  no  use  for  fighting  in  such  steep  places  as  Jeru- 
salem and  the  hill  country  of  Judea.  Down  in  Samaria 
they  could  be  used  to  better  advantage.  The  Hebrews 
often  saw  them  there  passing  down  the  coast  road  to 
Egypt.  One  of  the  Assyrian  monarchs,  who  conquered 
right  and  left,  had  a  chariot  with  a  scythe  attached,  with 
which  to  mow  down  the  people  ;  but  a  mowing  machine  is 

1  i  Sam.  xvii.  2  i  Samuel  8  i  Maccabees. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

of  little  account  on  a  rocky  hillside,  and  so  Isaiah  warned 
his  townsmen  to  stay  at  home  in  Jerusalem  and  not  go 
down  to  the  plain  to  fight  with  chariots  and  horses.  The 
chariots  and  cavalry  of  Assyria  were  considered  the  most 
powerful  in  the  world,  and  Egypt  was  always  famous  for 
its  fine  horses.  The  Israelites  were  preeminently  an  in- 
fantry people  and  could  fight  best  on  foot.  There  came 
a  time,  however,  when  they  considered  it  plebeian  to  stick 
to  their  old  customs.  They  thought  that  in  order  to  be 
like  the  people  of  the  world,  and  not  backwoodsmen,  they 
too  must  have  horses  and  chariots.  They  did  not  own 
them  ;  consequently  they  sent  embassies  down  to  Egypt  to 
borrow  them.  Because  they  were  awkward  in  driving  these 
chariots  and  must  go  away  from  their  own  familiar  ground 
in  order  to  use  them,  they  were  almost  sure  to  be  defeated 
in  any  contest  with  expert  horsemen.  How  fine  the  war 
horses  were  in  those  days  is  shown  by  pictures  of  them 
on  the  old  Assyrian  sculptures  and  by  such  a  description 
as  is  given  in  the  thirty-ninth  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Job. 

Hast  thou  given  the  horse  his  might? 

Hast  thou  clothed  his  neck  with  the  quivering  mane  ? 

Hast  thou  made  him  to  leap  as  a  locust  ? 

The  glory  of  his  snorting  is  terrible. 

He  paweth  in  the  valley,  and  rejoiceth  in  his  strength : 

He  goeth  out  to  meet  the  armed  men. 

He  mocketh  at  fear,  and  is  not  dismayed ; 

Neither  turneth  he  back  from  the  sword. 

He  swalloweth  the  ground  with  fierceness  and  rage ; 

Neither  standeth  he  still  at  the  voice  of  the  trumpet. 

As  oft  as  the  trumpet  soundeth  he  saith,  Aha ! 

And  he  smelleth  the  battle  afar  off, 

The  thunder  of  the  captains,  and  the  shouting. 

[42] 


THE  HILLS 

To  manage  such  a  war  horse  would  take  much  skill. 
Isaiah  knew  his  countrymen  could  not  compete  with  their 
enemies  in  that  art  of  war.  So  it  was  that  in  a  very  seri- 
ous crisis  in  Israel's  history  Isaiah  did  his  best  to  keep  the 
king  from  yielding  to  the  false  counselors  of  his  court, 
who  tried  to  persuade  him  to  send  down  to  Egypt  and  hire 
horses  and  chariots  with  which  to  fight  the  Assyrians.  He 
warned  them  to  stay  at  home  and  be  quiet,  and  trust  to 
their  natural  defenses  and  in  the  God  of  the  hills  whom 
they  worshiped  up  in  Mount  Zion.  If  they  were  foolish 
enough  to  try  a  new  art  of  warfare,  they  would  soon  be 
fleeing  in  disgrace  before  their  pursuers,  mowed  down 
so  fast  that  what  was  left  of  them  would  be  like  a  lonely 
pole  sticking  upon  a  barren  hilltop.  But  if  they  stayed 
at  home  and  trusted  the  Lord,  he  would  be  like  a  lion  pro- 
tecting them  or  an  eagle  hovering  over  her  mountain  nest. 

For  thus  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Israel's  Holy  One,  saith, 

By  sitting  still  and  remaining  quiet  ye  shall  be  delivered, 

In  resting  and  trusting  shall  your  strength  consist. 

But  ye  refused,  and  said,  Nay, 

On  steeds  will  we  speed ;  therefore  ye  shall  speed  in  flight ! 

And,  On  swift  steeds  will  we  ride.   Therefore  your  pursuers  shall 

be  swift! 

Each  thousand  shall  flee  at  the  war-cry  of  one. 
From  the  war-cry  of  five  ye  shall  flee,  till  ye  are  but  a  remnant, 
Like  a  pole  on  the  top  of  a  mountain  and  like  a  signal  on  a  hill.1 

Woe  unto  those  that  go  down  to  Egypt  for  help, 
Who  rely  on  horses  and  trust  in  chariots  because  they  are  many, 
And  in  horsemen  because  they  are  very  strong, 
But  have  not  looked  unto  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  have  not  con- 
sulted Jehovah. 

1  Isa.  xxx,  15-17,   Kent's  translation  in  "  Student's  Old  Testament." 

[43] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Now,  the  Eygptians  are  men  and  not  God, 

And  their  horses  flesh  and  not  spirit ; 

And  if  Jehovah  stretch  out  his  hand, 

He  that  helpeth  will  stumble, 

And  he  that  is  helped  will  fall, 

And  they  all  will  be  consumed  together. 

For  thus  saith  Jehovah  unto  me, 

As  the  lion  with  the  young  lion  growleth  over  his  prey, 

Against  whom  there  is  called  a  troop  of  shepherds,  — 

(At  their  shouting  he  is  not  terrified, 

And  at  their  noise  he  is  not  daunted) 

So  shall  Jehovah  of  hosts  come  down  to  battle  upon  the  Mount  and 

hill  of  Zion. 

Like  birds  hovering,  so  shall  Jehovah  of  hosts  shelter  Jerusalem, 
Sheltering  and  delivering,  passing  over  and  rescuing.1 


SUGGESTED   READINGS   FOR  THE   TEACHER  OR   CLASS 
For  cave  dwellers,  see 

GRANT,  ELIHU.  The  Peasantry  of  Palestine.  The  Pilgrim  Press, 
Boston.  $1.50. 

Bible  dictionaries  (the  following  are  especially  recommended}: 
The  Standard  Bible  Dictionary.    Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company, 

New  York.     $6.00. 
Hastings's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  (complete  in  one  volume). 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.    $5.00. 
Hastings's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  (5  vols.).    Charles  Scribner's 

Sons,  New  York.   $35.00. 

MACALISTER,  R.  A.  STEWART.  Bible  Side-Lights  from  the 
Mound  of  Gezer  (well  illustrated).  Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
New  York.  $1.25. 

For  comments  on  the  Psalms,  see 

BRIGGS,  C.  A.  The  International  Critical  Commentary,  "  Psalms." 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.  $3.00  a  volume. 

1  Isa.  xxxi,  I,  3-5,  Cheyne's  translation. 
[44] 


THE  HILLS 

MOULTON,  R.  G.   The  Modern  Reader's  Bible.   The  Macmillan 

Company,  New  York.    $2.00. 
FOWLER,  H.  T.   The  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York.    $2.25. 
GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

For  a  description  of  the  Great  High  Place  at  Petra,  see 

HUNTINGTON,  ELLSWORTH.  Palestine  and  its  Transformation, 
pp.  223  ff. 

HANDCOCK,  P.  S.  P.  Latest  Light  on  Bible  Lands,  p.  244.  Soci- 
ety for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  London.  $1.80. 

ROBINSON,  GEORGE  E.  "  The  High  Places  of  Petra,"  Biblical 
World,  January,  1908. 

WILSON,  E.  L.  "A  Photographer's  Visit  to  Petra  "  (illustrated), 
Century  Magazine,  November,  1885. 

For  a  description  of  another  High  Place,  see 

MACALISTER.    Bible  Side-Lights  from  the  Mound  of  Gezer. 

For  the  location  of  Mount  Moriah,  see 

Bible  dictionaries. 
For  the  custom  of  sacrificing  the  first-born,  see 

MACALISTER.    Bible   Side-Lights    from    the   Mound   of   Gezer, 

pp.  168-172. 

Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics,  edited  by  James  Hastings, 
art.  "  First-born." 

For  an  estimate  of  the  literary  "value  of  the  story  of  Abraham  and 

Isaac,  see 
FOWLER,  H.  T.   The  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

For  the  fine  horses  of  Egypt,  see 

TRISTRAM,  H.  B.    Natural  History  of  the  Bible.    Society  for  Pro- 
moting Christian  Knowledge,  London. 
Encyclopaedias. 

For  comments  on  the  passages  from  Isaiah,  see 
DRIVER.    Isaiah  :  his  Life  and  Times,  chap.  vi. 


[45] 


SELECTION  IV.    THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF 
THE  PLAIN 

SAMSON  AND  THE  WHEAT  FIELDS 

Judges  xv,  4-17 

The  Maritime  Plain,  the  little  strip  of  level  land  on  the 
coast  south  of  Mount  Carmel,  from  eight  to  fifteen  miles 
wide,  is  the  most  attractive  part  of  the  country.  It  is 
very  fertile  and  easily  cultivated,  with  a  delightful  climate 
like  that  of  southern  France,  warm  enough  for  such  fruit 
trees  as  the  orange  and  the  apricot,  with  beautiful  waving 
fields  of  wheat.  As  one  looks  out  over  the  landscape  in 
the  summer  months  it  appears  like  a  sea  of  dead-ripe 
grain  waving  in  the  breeze.  This  portion  of  Palestine  was 
picked  out  very  early  by  settlers  from  the  northwest,  called 
Philistines.  They  did  not  belong  to  the  same  race  as  the 
Hebrews,  for  the  Hebrews  were  Semites  from  the  east. 
The  Philistines  were  of  the  Aryan  race,  which  includes  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  the  Celts,  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and 
ourselves.  Perhaps  originally  they  had  lived  on  the  island 
of  Crete  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  had  been  adven- 
turous enough  to  skirt  its  coasts  and  find  this  fertile  little 
strip  on  the  shore  of  Palestine ;  for  the  Aryans  were 
more  daring  than  the  Semites  and  pushed  their  way  into 
new  lands  more  readily.  It  is  from  the  name  of  these 
people  that  the  word  Palestine  comes,  the  Greeks  calling 

[46] 


THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  THE  PLAIN 

that  little  eastern  strip  along  the  Mediterranean  Palaistine, 
or  the  land  where  the  Philistines  lived.  The  Romans 
changed  it  to  Palestina  and  we  to  Palestine.  These  peo- 
ple built  a  number  of  fortified  cities  on  the  plain ;  Gaza 
was  one,  Ashkelon  another.  We  hear  a  great  deal  about 
these  cities  and  how  hard  they  were  to  conquer,  for  the 
Philistines  were  fighters.  Goliath,  the  big  giant  whom 
David  met  with  his  sling,  was  a  Philistine.  When  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  himself  a  Greek  with  the  same  Aryan 
blood  in  his  veins,  came  down  the  coast  conquering  every- 
thing before  him,  he  had  to  stop  a  long  time  before  the 
people  of  Gaza  would  give  in. 

These  Philistines  were  in  the  plain  when  the  Israelites 
came  back  from  Egypt,  and  were  an  endless  amount  of 
trouble  to  them,  for  the  Israelites  could  not  drive  them 
out,  and  every  once  in  a  while  the  Philistines  would  make 
a  raid  upon  the  Hebrews,  taking  away  their  crops  and  de- 
stroying their  villages,  and  at  one  time  taking  off  all  their 
forges  so  that  they  had  no  means  of  sharpening  their 
swords.  If  they  wanted  to  sharpen  their  agricultural  im- 
plements even,  they  had  to  go  down  to  some  village  of 
the  Philistines  to  do  it.1  This  was  very  humiliating  to  the 
Hebrews,  and  Saul  and  David  spent  much  of  their  time 
in  battles  with  the  Philistines,  driving  them  back  away 
from  the  hills  down  into  their  own  country  on  the  plain. 
But  before  the  time  of  Saul  and  David,  when  the  Israel- 
ites first  tried  to  get  possession  of  the  country,  they  did 
not  know  how  strong  these  people  were,  and  when  the 
land  was  portioned  out  to  the  various  tribes,  one  tribe, 
Dan,  chose  a  piece  of  the  coast  plain.  It  certainly  looked 

1  I  Sam.  xiii,  19-23. 

[47] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

most  attractive,  and  they  started  to  settle  there.  Between 
the  plain  and  the  high  mountains  of  Jerusalem  are  some 
low  hills,  the  halfway  ground,  the  highlands,  with  valleys 
where  mountain  brooks  rush  down  after  the  heavy  rains 
of  fall  and  spring,  and  where  there  used  to  be  good 
hunting.  It  was  here  that  the  Danites  got  their  first  foot- 
hold and  settled  in  a  few  villages.  In  one  of  these  villages, 
Zorah,  there  was  a  very  athletic  boy  named  Samson,  who 
became  famous  for  his  strength.  He  could  "  do  stunts  " 
that  would  startle  even  the  most  accomplished  athlete  of 
the  present  day,  and  so  remarkable  were  the  stories  of  his 
feats,  which  were  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  that 
he  became  the  great  athletic  hero  of  Hebrew  literature. 
Some  of  the  most  interesting  hero  stories  of  the  days  of 
the  Judges  are  about  this  young  man  Samson,  and  the  hill 
country  of  that  region  is  now  called  "  the  Samson  Coun- 
try." But  the  attractions  of  the  plain  farther  down  were  a 
constant  temptation  to  the  Danites.  They  tried  their  best 
to  win  it  away  from  the  Philistines  but  were  always  de- 
feated, and  gave  up  the  struggle  in  disgust.  Then  they 
struck  away  north  as  far  as  they  could  get,  and  conquered 
a  city  named  Laish  up  in  the  Lebanons,  changing  its 
name  to  Dan.  After  this  the  phrase  "  from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba  "  meant  the  whole  length  of  the  land  from  Dan  in 
the  extreme  north  to  Beersheba  in  the  extreme  south. 

But  it  was  while  the  Danites  were  still  fighting  for  their 
territory  on  the  seacoast  that  Samson  appeared  as  their 
champion.  The  lure  of  the  Philistines  was  great  for  him 
as  well  as  for  all  his  tribe,  and  he  used  to  go  down  to  a 
near-by  village,  Timnah,  to  see  a  girl  whom  he  wanted  for 
his  wife.  But  one  day  they  quarreled,  and  when  he  went 

[48] 


THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  THE  PLAIN 

back  after  a  while  to  make  it  up,  he  found  her  father  had 
married  her  to  some  one  else.  This  made  him  very  angry, 
and  so  he  caught  a  great  number  of  foxes  (or  more  likely 
they  were  jackals,  an  animal  very  much  like  the  fox),  ty- 
ing their  tails  together,  with  firebrands  between,  and  send- 
ing them  running  frantically  through  the  dry  grainfields 
of  the  Philistines.  These  jackals  are  very  numerous  in 
Palestine  still,  making  night  hideous  with  their  howls. 
One  traveler  thus  describes  a  concert  of  jackals:  "You 
may  be  serenaded  by  them  every  night,  but  they  are  par- 
ticularly musical  in  the  fiercest  storms.  Deliver  me  from 
their  music.  I  was  terrified.  It  began  in  a  sort  of  solo  ;  a 
low,  long-drawn  wail,  rising  and  swelling  higher  and  higher 
until  it  quite  overtopped  the  wind  ;  and  just  when  it  was 
about  to  choke  off  in  utter  despair,  it  was  reenforced  by 
many  others,  yelling,  screaming,  barking,  wailing,  as  if  a 
whole  legion  of  demons  were  fighting."  Some  of  the  boys 
on  western  ranches  know  the  howling  of  the  coyote,  but 
the  barking  of  the  coyote  is  nothing  to  the  yelling  jackal. 
They  differ  from  the  fox  because  they  hunt  in  packs  in- 
stead of  prowling  about  singly  for  their  prey.  They  are 
accustomed  to  run  side  by  side,  so  that  if  their  tails  were 
tied  together  they  would  not  pull  in  opposite  directions  as 
foxes  would  probably  do,  but  Samson's  firebrands  dragging 
behind  would  set  the  fields  afire  in  a  hundred  and  fifty 
places.  It  was  a  wicked  thing  to  do,  considered  a  criminal 
offense  even  in  those  barbarous  times,  for  a  very  ancient 
law  has  come  down  to  the  Arabs  of  the  present  day,  not 
to  set  fire  to  standing  grain  or  the  bush  belonging  to 
another  man.  The  punishment  which  they  prescribe  is 
nothing  short  of  death  even  if  the  fire  is  an  accident. 

[49] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

But  Samson  had  his  revenge.  After  it  was  done,  how- 
ever, his  countrymen  were  very  angry  with  him  because 
he  had  so  enraged  the  Philistines,  who  were  their  enemies. 
To  appease  them  he  let  them  bind  him  with  cords  and 
hand  him  over  to  the  enemy,  and  then  the  story  goes  on 
to  say  that  before  them  all  he  broke  the  cords  as  if  they 
had  been  burnt  string,  and  seizing  the  jawbone  of  a  dead 
ass  lying  near,  he  rushed  at  the  surprised  crowd,  laying 
about  him  right  and  left  and  slaying  a  thousand  men. 

From  this  old  hero  story  the  Hebrews  made  a  rhyme 
which  was  based  upon  a  pun,  the  Hebrew  words  for  "  ass  " 
and  "  mass  "  sounding  the  same. 

With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  have  I  massed  a  mass ; 
With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  have  I  slain  a  thousand.1 

Punning  is  a  coarse  kind  of  humor,  but  the  surprise  of 
it  always  makes  us  smile.  Riddles  and  conundrums  are 
based  largely  on  puns.  The  Samson  riddles  are  among 
the  earliest  forms  of  Hebrew  literature,  and  the  Hebrews 
always  enjoyed  a  play  on  words. 

Samson  was  afterwards  taken  captive  in  Gaza,  and  his 
eyes  were  put  out.    The  revenge  he  sought  then  was  to 
break  down  the  pillars  of  the  great  temple  in  that  city, 
when  it  was  full  of  people  at  a  feast.  The  Philistines  were 
too  strong  for  Samson,  as  they  were  for  his  whole  tribe, 
but  the  story  of  his  great  deeds  and  the  pity  of  his  slavery 
forms  an  interesting  part  of  Bible  story,  and  was  incorpo- 
rated into  English  literature  by  no  less  a  poet  than  Milton. 
To  grind  in  brazen  fetters  under  task, 
Eyeless,  in  Gaza,  at  the  mill  with  slaves ! 
Oh,  change  beyond  report,  thought  or  belief ! 

1  Gordon's  translation  in  "  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament." 

[50] 


THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  THE  PLAIN 

Can  this  be  he 
Who  tore  the  lion  as  the  lion  tears  the  kid  ? 

w__~l — 

Then  with  what  trivial  weapon  came  to  hand; 

The  jaw  of  a  dead  ass  his  sword  of  bone, 

A  thousand  foreskins  fell,  the  flower  of  Palestine. 

And  Samson  went  and  caught  three  hundred  jackals,  and  took 
torches,  and  turned  tail  to  tail,  and  put  a  firebrand  in  the  midst  be- 
tween every  two  tails.  And  when  he  had  set  the  brands  on  fire,  he 
let  them  go  into  the  standing  grain  of  the  Philistines,  and  burnt  up 
both  the  shocks  and  the  standing  grain,  and  also  the  oliveyards. 
Then  the  Philistines  said,  Who  hath  done  this  ?  And  they  said,  Sam- 
son, the  son-in-law  of  the  Timnite,'  because  he  hath  taken  his  wife, 
and  given  her  to  his  companion.  And  the  Philistines  came  up,  and 
burnt  her  and  her  father  with  fire.  And  Samson  said  unto  them,  If 
ye  do  after  this  manner,  surely  I  will  be  avenged  of  you,  and  after 
that  I  will  cease.  And  he  smote  them  hip  and  thigh  with  a  great 
slaughter :  and  he  went  down  and  dwelt  in  the  cleft  of  the  rock  of 
Etam. 

Then  the  Philistines  went  up  and  encamped  in  Judah,  and  spread 
themselves  in  Lehi.  And  the  men  of  Judah  said,  Why  are  ye  come 
up  against  us?  And  they  said,  To  bind  Samson  are  we  come  up,  to 
do  to  him  as  he  hath  done  to  us.  Then  three  thousand  men  of  Judah 
went  down  to  the  cleft  of  the  rock  of  Etam,  and  said  to  Samson, 
Knowest  thou  not  that  the  Philistines  are  rulers  over  us  ?  what  then 
is  this  that  thou  hast  done  unto  us  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  As  they 
did  unto  me,  so  have  I  done  unto  them.  And  they  said  unto  him, 
We  are  come  down  to  bind  thee,  that  we  may  deliver  thee  into  the 
hand  of  the  Philistines.  And  Samson  said  unto  them,  Swear  unto  me, 
that  ye  will  not  fall  upon  me  yourselves.  And  they  spake  unto  him, 
saying,  No ;  but  we  will  bind  thee  fast,  and  deliver  thee  into  their 
hand :  but  surely  we  will  not  kill  thee.  And  they  bound  him  with 
two  new  ropes,  and  brought  him  up  from  the  rock. 

When  he  came  unto  Lehi,  the  Philistines  shouted  as  they  met  him : 
and  the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  came  mightily  upon  him,  and  the  ropes 
that  were  upon  his  arms  became  as  flax  that  was  burnt  with  fire,  and 

[Si] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

his  bands  dropped  from  off  his  hands.  And  he  found  a  fresh  jawbone 
of  an  ass,  and  put  forth  his  hand  and  took  it,  and  smote  a  thousand 
men  therewith.  And  Samson  said, 

With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass,  heaps  upon  heaps, 

With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  have  I  smitten  a  thousand  men. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  had  made  an  end  of  speaking,  that 
he  cast  away  the  jawbone  out  of  his  hand ;  and  that  place  was  called 
the  hill  of  the  jawbone.1 


THE  ROSE  OF  SHARON  AND  THE  LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY 

Song  of  Songs  ii,  i  (Canticle  of  Canticles  ii,  i,  Douay) 

North  of  this  "  Samson  Country"  and  the  Plain  of  the 
Philistines  lies  the  Plain  of  Sharon,  sung  into  Hebrew 
literature  by  the  familiar  verse  in  the  Song  of  Songs, 
I  am  the  rose  of  Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley. 

This  plain  is  below  Mount  Carmel,  extending  toward  Joppa 
fifty  miles,  and  is  most  luxuriant  with  fruit  and  flowers. 
Frosts  are  here  unknown,  and  the  rains  and  dews  very 
copious.  The  particular  flower  mentioned  in  the  Song  of 
Songs  as  the  rose  of  Sharon  is  by  some  supposed  to  be 
the  rockrose  found  on  Mount  Carmel,  although  it  is  prob- 
ably our  narcissus,  which  is  very  beautiful  and  abundant 
here.  The  lily  of  the  valley  mentioned  so  many  times  in 
the  Song  was  probably  the  anemone,  the  most  abundant 
and  conspicuous  flower  to  be  found  in  Palestine.  The 
blossoms  are  of  several  different  colors,  —  lilac,  white, 
and  red,  —  but  the  one  most  frequently  seen  is  the  bril- 
liant scarlet.  It  is  a  gorgeous  sight  to  see  a  field  of 

1  American  Revised  Version,  with  marginal  readings. 
[52] 


THE  ATTRACTIONS  OF  THE  PLAIN 

these  anemones,  spread  out  before  us  like  a  gayly  colored 
carpet.  They  grow  everywhere  on  the  hills  and  in  the 
plains,  by  the  shores  of  the  lake  and  in  the  crevices  of 
the  rocks,  but  nowhere  are  they  more  beautiful  than  on  the 
Plain  of  Sharon,  where  they  are  scattered  luxuriantly  over 
those  broad  fields.  This  was  doubtless  the  flower  that  Jesus 
plucked  and  held  up  before  his  audience  when  he  said, 

Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow;  they  toil  not, 
neither  do  they  spin ;  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.1 

A  plant  somewhat  like  our  foxglove  covers  wide  acres 
of  the  Plain  of  Sharon.  Around  Jaffa  (or  Joppa)  there 
grow  the  most  fruitful  orange  groves,  the  oranges  selling 
for  half  a  cent  apiece.  Just  south  of  Carmel  there  are 
evidences  showing  that  oak  forests  stood  there  in  ancient 
times.  There  are  three  kinds  of  oaks  in  Palestine,  and 
they  are  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  The  traditional  oak 
of  Abraham  down  in  Hebron2  and  the  one  upon  which 
Absalom  caught  his  hair3  are  among  the  most  famous 
single  trees,  but  the  oak  forests  of  the  plateau  of  Gilead, 
east  of  Jordan,  and  of  the  Plain  of  Sharon  were  doubtless 
among  the  most  delightful  stretches  of  wooded  country 
Palestine  then  contained.  These  old  oak  woods  of  Sharon 
have  for  the  most  part  disappeared  ;  scrub  oaks  now  take 
their  place.  North  of  Carmel  is  the  Plain  of  Acre,  where 
flowers  and  birds  flourish  in  the  springtime.  Flowers  of  all 
sorts  are  here,  too  numerous  to  be  counted.  Some  of  the 
most  conspicuous  of  them  are  flowers  that  we  prize  in  our 
own  gardens.  Anemones  and  brilliant  poppies  and  the 

1  Matt,  vi,  28,  29;  Luke  xii,  27.  2  Gen.  xxiii,  17. 

3  2  Sam.  xviii,  9. 

[53] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

orchises  which  we  consider  so  rare  are  the  most  common 
flowers,  and  the  air  is  fragrant  with  the  perfume  from  the 
sweet  wild  hyacinths.  The  birds  too  are  as  joyous  as  the 
flowers,  singing  their  hearts  out  for  the  delight  of  living. 
East  of  Carmel  is  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  the  great  granary 
of  Palestine,  with  the  river  Kishon  flowing  through  it  north- 
westward to  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Such  are  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  plains  in  contrast  to  the  bleak  hills  of  Judea, 
but  it  was  on  the  hills  that  the  greatest  thoughts  were  born. 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  Maritime  Plain  and  "  the  Samson  Country,"  see 
SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  chap.  viii. 
THOMSON,  W.  M.   The  Land  and  the  Book.    Harper  &  Brothers, 

New  York,  1860.    New  edition,  London,  1886. 
GRANT.    The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 
BAEDEKER.   Palestine  and  Syria.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 

York.   $3.60. 

For  jackals,  see 

THOMSON.   The  Land  and  the  Book. 
TRISTRAM.   The  Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  Samson's  riddles,  see 

GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

FOWLER.    The  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

For  the  rose  of  Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley,  see 
TRISTRAM.   The  Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
HAZARD,  CAROLINE.    A  Brief  Pilgrimage  in  the  Holy  Land. 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston.   $1.50. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  other  plants  on  the  Plain  of  Sharon  see  the  above-mentioned 

books  and 

GOODRICH-FREER,  A.    Things  seen  in  Palestine.   E.  P.  Button 
&  Company,  New  York.    75  cents. 

[54] 


©  Underwood  &  Underwood 

THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  THE  OLD  BATTLEGROUND 


SELECTION  V.    THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND 
DEBORAH'S  SONG 

Judges  v 

Rivers  are  comparatively  few  in  Palestine.  There  is  the 
one  long  river,  the  Jordan,  running  north  and  south,  hav- 
ing its  source  up  in  the  Lebanons  and  ending  in  the  Dead 
Sea.  There  are  three  short  ones  running  at  right  angles 
from  the  east  side,  two  into  the  Jordan  and  one  into  the 
Dead  Sea.  These  are  the  Yarmuk,  the  Jabbok,  and  the 
Arnon.  Then  there  is  another  which  rises  in  the  eastern 
hills  of  Samaria  just  west  of  the  Jordan  and,  flowing  north- 
westward through  the  fertile  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  empties 
into  the  Mediterranean  under  the  brow  of  Mt.  Carmel. 
This  is  the  Kishon,  and  it  played  a  very  important  part  on 
a  certain  day  in  one  of  the  great  battles  of  Israel.  Indeed, 
in  the  plain  through  which  this  river  runs  there  is  one  of 
the  oldest  battlefields  of  the  world's  history.  Here  in  this 
middle  ground  between  Asia  and  Africa  many  armies  have 
gathered  to  fight  out  their  quarrels,  because  it  was  halfway 
ground  and  because  the  valley  here  stretches  out  for  many 
miles  between  the  hills  on  either  side,  where  chariots  and 
horses  as  well  as  men  would  have  a  chance  to  spread 
themselves  out. 

The  river  Kishon  is  a  very  peculiar  stream.  It  flows 
along  its  crooked  course  quite  sluggishly  in  the  summer- 
time, in  some  places  hardly  to  be  seen,  while  in  the  winter, 

[55] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

when  the  heavy  rains  fall,  it  becomes  a  raging  torrent, 
overflowing  its  banks  and  making  a  sticky  mud  that  is 
almost  impossible  to  cross.  Often  at  such  times  animals 
and  baggage  have  disappeared  from  sight. 

Now  there  was  a  time  in  Israel's  history  when  the 
whole  country  was  in  a  very  confused  state,  when  the 
Canaanites  as  well  as  the  Philistines  were  doing  their  best 
to  make  it  hard  for  the  Hebrews  and  to  drive  them  out  of 
the  land.  The  Canaanites,  of  course,  were  the  first  settlers. 
They  came  to  Palestine  long  before  Abraham  was  born, 
perhaps  as  many  as  two  thousand  years  before.  The  land 
was  named  Canaan  for  them,  and  naturally  they  thought  it 
belonged  to  them,  and  resented  the  newcomers  as  inter- 
lopers, just  as  our  American  Indians  resented  the  en- 
croachments of  the  Europeans.  But  the  Israelites  believed 
this  country  had  been  promised  to  them,  and  when  they  at 
last  escaped  from  slavery  down  in  Egypt,  they  crossed  the 
Jordan  under  Joshua's  lead,  thinking  it  would  be  a  short 
matter  to  take  possession  of  the  land.  But  it  was  not  so 
easy  as  they  thought.  The  Canaanites  lived  in  walled  vil- 
lages and  had  chariots  and  horses  to  fight  with.  The 
Israelites  must  fight  on  foot  and  were  not  well  organized. 
When  they  had  first  come  in  sight  of  the  Promised  Land, 
two  of  the  tribes  and  a  part  of  another  asked  the  special 
privilege  of  remaining  on  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan, 
where  there  was  good  pasture  for  their  flocks.  They 
promised  faithfully  to  come  over  the  river  and  help  the 
rest  fight  their  battles  in  time  of  need.  But  after  a  while 
they  found  it  easier  to  stay  at  home,  and  some  of  the 
other  tribes,  too,  were  very  selfish  in  the  way  they  forgot 
to  look  after  anyone's  interests  but  their  own. 

[56] 


THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 

These  twelve  tribes  were  somewhat  like  our  colonies  in 
early  American  history,  or,  more  truly,  like  the  Scottish 
clans  at  the  time  Walter  Scott  was  writing  about  in  "  The 
Lady  of  the  Lake."  You  remember  that  when  Roderick 
Dhu  wanted  to  marshal  the  clans  together  for  a  fight,  he 
killed  a  goat  and  had  the  priest  dip  the  ends  of  a  cross  in 
its  blood,  pronouncing  a  curse  upon  every  clan  which  should 
fail  to  heed  the  signal  and  rally  around  the  chieftain. 

Then  Roderick  with  impatient  look 

From  Brian's  hand  the  symbol  took : 

"  Speed,  Malise,  speed  !  "  he  said,  and  gave 

The  crosslet  to  his  henchman  brave. 

"  The  muster-place  be  Lanrick  mead  — 

Instant  the  time  —  speed,  Malise,  speed!  " 

Some  such  message  as  that  was  sent  to  the  tribes  of 
Israel  by  Deborah,  the  famous  woman  judge  of  the  He- 
brews, when  she  saw  there  must  be  a  battle  with  their  old- 
time  enemy,  the  Canaanites.  Some  of  the  tribes  listened 
and  some  of  them  did  not.  The  Reubenites  who  tended 
their  flocks  over  on  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan  had  "  great 
searchings  of  heart,"  we  are  told,  but  decided,  after  all,  to 
stay  at  home  and  watch  their  sheep.  The  tribes  that  were 
on  the  seacoast  had  nothing  to  fear  either,  and  so  they 
11  sat  still  on  the  shore."  There  was  likewise  a  village, 
called  Meroz,  where  the  inhabitants  refused  to  help  at  all, 
and  thus  brought  down  upon  themselves  a  heavy  curse. 

But  some  of  the  tribes  "risked  their  lives  to  the  death" 
and  earned  Deborah's  deepest  gratitude.  In  her  song  she 

says, 

My  heart  is  towards  the  leaders  of  Israel, 

That  offered  themselves  willingly  among  the  people. 

[57] 


Deborah  was  a  wonderful  woman.  Those  were  days  when 
the  Canaanites  were  so  troublesome  that  the  Israelites  did 
not  dare  to  travel  the  highroad  for  fear  of  being  robbed 
or  murdered,  and  so  they  skulked  from  place  to  place 
along  bypaths.  No  man  was  brave  enough  to  come  out 
boldly  and  rally  the  people  for  war.  But  they  all  knew 
there  was  this  very  wise  woman  up  in  the  hill  country  of 
Ephraim,  and  so  when  they  had  any  special  trouble  they 
came  to  her  for  advice.  Finally  she  saw  that  the  only  way 
out  of  their  difficulties  was  for  them  all  to  get  together 
and  fight  the  Canaanites  unitedly.  Therefore  she  sent  for 
a  man  she  knew,  named  Barak,  and  told  him  to  gather  as 
many  men  as  he  could  on  the  slope  of  Mount  Tabor, 
which  is  at  the  head  of  the  plain  through  which  the  river 
Kishon  flows.  He  succeeded  in  getting  ten  thousand 
together.  They  were  on  foot,  and  the  enemy  was  down 
below  in  the  valley  with  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron. 
The  Israelites  had  the  advantage  of  position,  but  even  so, 
had  it  not  been  for  a  most  providential  occurrence,  they 
might  have  been  defeated.  Deborah  says  in  her  song  that 
heaven  fought  for  them,  and  so  it  did,  for  there  was  a 
great  rain  that  day,  perhaps  the  first  of  the  winter  rains, 
which  is  called  "  the  pourer."  The  river  suddenly  over- 
flowed its  banks,  and  Sisera  and  his  chariots  were  hope- 
lessly stuck  in  the  mud.  Of  course  this  made  an  occasion 
for  a  very  triumphant  exultation  in  the  song.  Deborah 
cries  out  at  this  crisis  of  the  battle, 

O  my  soul,  march  on  with  strength ! 

Then  she  describes  the  plunging  and  stamping  of  the 
horses  as  they  pulled  themselves  out  of  the  mud  and 

[58] 


THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 

galloped  away.  We  have  learned  already  that  the  Hebrew 
poets  were  very  fond  of  the  figure  of  speech  called  ono- 
matopoeia, or  the  imitation  of  sounds  by  words.  We  find 
it  true  in  this  very  early  song. 

Then  pounded  the  hoofs  of  the  horses, 
With  the  gallop,  the  gallop  of  strong  ones, 
And  the  river  of  Kishon  swept  them  away, 
The  on-rushing  river  of  Kishon. 1 

The  Hebrew  word  for  "gallop  "  is  dakaroth,  which,  if  re- 
peated several  times,  sounds  like  the  pounding  of  horses' 
hoofs  on  a  road. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  commotion  Sisera,  the  captain 
of  the  Canaanites,  escaped  on  foot.  He  hurried  as  fast  as 
he  could  away  from  the  scene,  expecting  any  moment  to 
be  caught  as  a  fugitive  and  killed.  After  he  had  succeeded 
in  putting  thirty  miles  or  more  between  himself  and  the 
battlefield  he  thought  it  was  safe  to  rest  a  bit,  so  ex- 
hausted was  he  with  his  run.  He  saw  a  tent  in  the  dis- 
tance, which  he  recognized  as  the  home  of  a  friend  of  his, 
Heber,  the  Kenite.  At  least,  he  supposed  he  was  a  friend, 
for,  although  an  Israelite,  Heber  had  adopted  the  policy 
of  peace  with  his  neighbors  the  Canaanites.  But  Sisera 
did  not  count  rightly  upon  Heber's  wife,  Jael,  for  she  was 
loyal  as  she  could  be  to  her  own  kith  and  kin.  She  saw 
her  chance  when  Sisera  hastened  to  the  door  of  the  tent 
and  asked  if  he  might  get  a  drink  and  rest  a  little  while. 
Most  hospitably  she  received  him,  bringing  out  milk  in- 
stead of  water  and  pouring  it  into  her  choicest  bowl.  She 
had  him  lie  down  and  covered  him  with  a  rug.  Then, 

1  Gordon's  translation  in  "  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament." 

[59] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

when  he  had  fallen  fast  asleep  in  his  weariness,  she  pulled 
up  one  of  the  tent-pins  and,  taking  a  hammer,  stole  up 
softly  to  his  couch  and  drove  the  pin  through  his  temple. 
That  was  the  end  of  Sisera  and  the  end  of  the  conflict 
with  the  Canaanites. 

But  there  was  one  more  scene  to  follow,  which  Deborah 
depicts  most  graphically  and,  we  cannot  help  feeling,  with 
delight.  At  Sisera's  home  his  mother  was  waiting  for  him 
at  nightfall.  There  was  not  a  question  in  her  mind  but 
that  he  would  gain  an  easy  victory  over  those  poor,  half- 
organized  Israelites,  and  that  he  would  bring  home  captive 
maidens  and  spoil  in  abundance  for  all  the  household. 
But  he  did  not  come  and  did  not  come,  and  as  she  peered 
out  of  the  window  in  the  twilight  and  strained  her  ears  to 
hear  the  first  sound  of  his  chariot  wheels,  she  made  up  many 
excuses  for  the  long  delay  of  her  son,  who  never  came. 

This  is  the  climax  of  the  poem,  and  one  can  feel  the 
exultation  of  Deborah  and  the  Israelites  as  they  learned 
the  fate  of  Sisera  and  the  day's  triumph.  It  was  a  wild 
and  barbarous  age.  Jael,  in  her  ferocious  revengefulness, 
may  be  compared  to  Boadicea  of  Britain,  and  the  far- 
sighted,  courageous  Deborah — prophet,  poet,  and  heroine 
of  Israel  —  to  the  great  heroine  of  France,  Joan  of  Arc. 

There  are  two  accounts  of  this  story — one  in  prose,  in 
Judges  iv,  and  the  poem  of  Judges  v.  The  poem  is  doubt- 
less the  older;  indeed,  it  is  probably  the  very  oldest  com- 
plete piece  of  literature  which  the  Bible  contains.  It  is 
supposed  to  have  been  taken  from  a  very  old  Book  of  War 
Ballads  referred  to  in  the  Old  Testament  but  lost  to  us. 
"  We  count  ourselves  fortunate,"  says  Professor  Fowler, 
"  that  this  one  has  been  preserved."  And  Dr.  Gordon,  in 

[60] 


THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 

his  "Poets  of  the  Old  Testament,"  says  it  is  "  a  song  that 
for  force  and  fire  is  worthy  to  be  placed  alongside  the 
noblest  battle  odes  in  any  language." 

DEBORAH'S  SONG 
The  Theme  Announced 

For  that  the  leaders  took  the  lead  in  Israel, 
For  that  the  people  offered  themselves  willingly, 
Bless  ye  Jehovah  — 

Historical  Prelude 
Hear,  O  ye  kings ; 
Give  ear,  O  ye  princes, 
I,  even  I,  will  sing  unto  Jehovah, 
I  will  sing  praise  to  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel. 
Jehovah,  when  thou  wentest  forth  out  of  Seir, 
When  thou  marchedst  out  of  the  field  of  Edom, 
The  earth  trembled,  the  heavens  also  dropped, 
Yea,  the  clouds  dropped  water. 
The  mountains  quaked  at  the  presence  of  Jehovah, 
Even  yon  Sinai  at  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel.1 

Description  of  Israel's  Sad  Estate  before  the  Battle 

In  the  days  of  Shamgar  ben-Anath,  the  high  roads  were  deserted 

And  travelers  went  by  winding  paths. 

Still  lay  the  villages  in  Israel, 

And  hushed  was  the  work  of  the  country-folk, 

1  This  refers  to  some  great  earthquake  and  storm  during  the  wander- 
ings of  the  Israelites,  revealing  God's  majesty  and  strength.  "  In  words 
that  flash  and  roll  the  song  describes  the  glorious  advent  of  the  Most 
High,  nature  astir  with  his  presence,  the  mountains  shaking  under  his 
tread."  Compare  a  passage  in  Greek  literature  (Hesiod) : 

Great  Olympus  trembled  beneath  the  immortal  feet. 
(See  Expositor's  and  Cambridge  Bibles.) 

[61] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

No  shield  was  seen,  or  spear, 
'Mong  the  forty  thousands  in  Israel  — 
Until  that  I,  Deborah,  arose, 
That  I  arose,  a  mother  in  Israel. 

Return  to  the  Theme  of  the  Poem  (a  Refrain  of  Gratitude') 

My  heart  is  toward  the  leaders  of  Israel 

That  offered  themselves  willingly  among  the  people. 

Bless  ye  Jehovah  — 
Tell  of  it,  ye  that  ride  on  white  asses,1 
Ye  that  sit  on  rich  carpets, 
And  ye  that  walk  by  the  way :  — 
Far  from  the  noise  of  archers, 
In  the  places  of  drawing  water  :  — 
There  shall  they  rehearse  Jehovah's  righteous  acts, 
Even  the  righteous  acts  of  his  rule  in  Israel. 

Deborah's  Wild  War  Chant  which  roused  the  Hosts  of  Israel 

Awake,  awake,  Deborah, 

Awake,  awake,  strike  up  the  song ! 

Up  with  thee,  Barak !  put  on  thy  strength 

And  lead  away  thy  captive  train,  thou  son  of  Abinoam. 

The  Muster 

So  a  remnant  went  down  against  the  powerful, 

The  people  of  Jehovah  went  down  against  the  mighty  : 

From  Ephraim  they  rushed  forth  into  the  valley, 

His  brother  Benjamin  among  the  ranks ; 

From  Machir  went  down  commanders, 

And  from  Zebulon  those  who  carry  the  marshal's  staff, 

Men  of  Issachar  marched  with  Deborah, 

And  men  of  Naphtali  with  Barak ; 

1  Rulers  rode  on  white  asses.  This  verse  calls  on  both  rich  and  poor 
to  tell  the  story.  They  are  to  tell  it  by  the  wells,  the  gathering  places 
of  the  people. 

[62] 


THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 

Into  the  valley  they  rushed  forth  in  his  steps. 

By  the  brooks  of  Reuben 

There  were  great  resolves  of  heart. 

Then  why  didst  thou  stay  by  the  sheep-folds 

To  list  to  the  pipings  for  flocks  ? 

By  the  brooks  of  Reuben 

There  were  deep  searchings  of  heart ! 

Gilead  abode  beyond  Jordan, 

And  Dan  sat  still  by  the  ships, 

Asher  stayed  on  the  seashore, 

Quietly  abode  by  his  havens, 

But  Zebulon  —  he  flung  his  soul  to  the  death 

With  Naphtali  on  the  heights  of  the  field. 

The  Battle  and  Rout 

The  kings  came  and  fought ; 

Then  fought  the  kings  of  Canaan, 

In  Taanach  by  the  waters  of  Megiddo :  x 

They  took  no  gain  of  money. 

From  heaven  fought  the  stars, 

From  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera. 

The  river  Kishon  swept  them  away, 

The  ancient  river,  the  river  Kishon. 

O  my  soul,  march  on  with  strength ! 

Then  pounded  the  hoofs  of  the  horses, 

With  the  galloping,  galloping  of  their  powerful  steeds. 

The  Curse  against  Meroz  2 

Curse  ye  Meroz,  saith  Jehovah, 

With  curses  curse  its  inhabitants, 

For  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  Jehovah, 

To  the  help  of  Jehovah  among  the  brave. 

1  The  ancient  battlefield. 

2  Meroz  was  probably  a  village  through  which  Sisera  ran  on  his  road 
home. 

[63] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

The  Retribution 

Most  blessed  of  women  be  Jael, 

That  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite, 

Most  blessed  of  nomad  women  be. 

Water  he  asked  and  milk  she  gave, 

Buttermilk  brought  in  a  lordly  bowl. 

She  put  her  hand  to  the  tent-pin 

And  her  right  hand  to  the  workman's  hammer, 

And  she  struck  Sisera,  she  crushed  his  head, 

Smashed  on  him,  pierced  through  his  temple. 

At  her  feet  he  bowed,  he  fell,  he  lay ; 

At  her  feet  he  bowed,  he  fell ; 

Where  he  bowed,  there  he  fell  down  dead ! 

The  Last  Scene 

Through  the  window  she  peered  and  loudly  cried, 

The  mother  of  Sisera,  through  the  lattice, 

"  Why  is  his  chariot  so  long  in  coming  ? 

Why  tarry  the  wheels  of  his  chariot  ?  " 

The  wisest  of  her  ladies  answered  her, 

Yea,  she  answered  her  own  question, 

"  Are  they  not  finding,  dividing  the  spoil  ? 

A  damsel  or  two  for  each  warrior, 

A  spoil  of  dyed  stuff  for  Sisera, 

A  spoil  of  dyed  stuffs  embroidered, 

A  piece  or  two  of  embroidery  for  his  neck  ?  " 

Conclusion 

So  let  all  thine  enemies  perish,  O  Jehovah ; 

But  they  that  love  him  shall  be  as  the  sun  when  he  goeth  forth  in  his 
might! 


[64] 


THE  RIVER  KISHON  AND  DEBORAH'S  SONG 


SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  rivers  Jordan,  Kishon,  Yarmuk,  Jabbok,  and  Arnon,  see 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  translations,  suggestions  in  the  division  of  the  poem,  and  com- 
ments, see 

American  Revised  Version. 

GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

FOWLER.    The  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

MOORE,  GEORGE  FOOT.  The  International  Critical  Commentary, 

volume,  "Judges." 
KENT.    The  Student's  Old  Testament,  "  Beginnings  of  Hebrew 

History."    Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.    $2.75. 
MOULTON.   The  Modern  Reader's  Bible. 


[65] 


SELECTION  VI.     MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH 
THE  TISHBITE 

I  Kings  xviii,  16-40  (3  Kings  xviii,  16-40,  Douay) 

The  Plain  of  Sharon  joins  the  Philistine  Plain  on  the 
south,  the  Plain  of  Acre  runs  into  Phoenicia  on  the  north. 
In  between  lies  Mount  Carmel.  These  plains  were  the 
most  attractive  part  of  Palestine,  and  people  had  settled 
there  long  before  the  Hebrews  arrived  in  the  land.  Per- 
haps some  two  thousand  years  before  Abraham  ever  left 
Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  distant  cousins  of  his  had  already 
traveled  northwest  from  Arabia  and  established  themselves 
along  the  coast  and  in  the  lowlands.  Indeed,  the  name 
Canaan  is  supposed  to  mean  "  lowlands,"  and  the  Canaan- 
ites,  therefore,  took  their  name  from  the  character  of  the 
place  where  they  first  settled,  just  as  the  Scottish  High- 
landers did.  These  lowlanders  developed  a  civilization 
in  villages  and  cities,  with  extensive  commercial  interests, 
long  before  the  Hebrews  had  outgrown  their  nomadic 
habits.  The  people  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  the  two  great  cities 
of  Phoenicia,  were  the  "  Yankee  peddlers  of  those  olden 
times,"  and  as  such  were  well  known  to  the  Greeks  of 
Homer's  age.  In  the  fifteenth  book  of  the  Odyssey  the 
story  of  Menelaus  describes 

A  ship  of  Sidon  anchor'd  in  our  port, 
Freighted  with  toys  of  every  sort  — 
With  gold  and  amber  chains, 

[66] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE 

and  "  fierce  Achilles  "  was  clad  in  Sidonian  purple.  This 
Sidonian,  or  Tyrian,  purple  was  far-famed ;  it  was  made 
from  the  shell  of  a  fish  abounding  on  this  coast.  To-day 
the  traveler  walking  up  the  beach  along  the  Plain  of  Acre 
finds  it  strewn  with  beautiful  shells,  and  among  them  the 
spiny  ones  of  this-  same  fish ;  but  the  art  of  making  the 
purple  dye  is  lost  now. 

It  was  from  the  Phoenicians  that  Europe  received  the 
art  of  alphabetic  writing.  They  were  also  the  first  nation  to 
send  out  colonists,  for  it  was  the  Phoenicians  who  founded 
Carthage,  so  celebrated  in  Virgil ;  and  from  Carthage 
came  Hannibal,  one  of  the  three  great  generals  of  the 
Semitic  race.1  It  was  from  Phoenician  Tyre  that  Solomon 
bought  the  lumber  and  borrowed  the  designs  and  the 
artificers  for  the  great  temple  at  Jerusalem.2  The  prophet 
Isaiah  tells  us  that  these  merchantmen  were  the  real  rulers 
of  nations  at  one  time,  their  money  power  controlling 
kings.3  But  their  worldly  greatness  was  developed  at  the 
expense  of  something  higher  and  nobler.  They  were  more 
adventurous  than  their  cousins  the  Hebrews,  had  made  a 
few  inventions  and  discoveries,  and  had  gained  much 
wealth.  This  led  to  luxurious,  self-indulgent  living  and 
resulted  in  a  religion  of  a  very  low  grade. 

The  original  Semitic  religion  was  a  very  pure  nature 
worship ;  the  sun  and  moon  and  stars  had  called  out  the 

1  The  other  two  were  Tiglath-pileser,  the  Assyrian,  and  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, the  Babylonian.   For  contrast  between  the  Aryan  and  the  Semitic 
genius,  see  James  F.  McCurdy,  History,  Prophecy  and  the  Monuments. 

2  The  Hebrews  did  not  show  originality  in  their  architecture  or  in 
sculpture  and  painting,  as  did  their  neighbors,  the  Assyrians,  Egyptians, 
and  Greeks,  and  to  a  very  slight  degree  the  Phoenicians.    The  fine  art 
which  absorbed  their  originality  was  poetry. 

8  Isa.  xxiii,  8. 

[67] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

admiration  and  reverence  of  those  early  nomads,  living  in 
the  open  and  traveling  so  much  by  night ;  and  when  they 
settled  down  in  the  city  of  Ur  they  built  a  temple  to  the 
moon,  believing  there  must  be  some  great  mysterious 
power  behind  the  night.  The  priests  used  to  ascend  to 
the  top  of  the  temple  every  night  to  observe  the  stars, 
singing  a  hymn  at  midnight  before  they  came  down.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  astronomy,  and  such  worship  was  the 
seed  of  noble  thoughts  and  deep  reverential  feeling.  An- 
other city  worshiped  the  sun,  and  such  hymns  as  the 
following  formed  part  of  their  worship,  scarcely  below 
some  of  our  own  poetry  in  loftiness  of  thought. 

O  lord,  illuminator  of  darkness,  who  revealest  the  face  of  heaven, 
Merciful  God,  who  dost  lift  up  the  lowly,  protect  the  weak. 

To  thy  light  all  the  great  gods  look  up. 
All  the  Annunaki  look  up  to  thee. 

All  mankind  thou  guidest  like  a  single  being ; 
Expectantly,  with  raised  head  they  look  up  to  the  sunlight. 

When  thou  dost  appear,  they  rejoice  and  exult ; 

Thou  art  the  light  for  the  most  distant  ends  of  the  heavens. 

The  standard  for  the  wide  earth, 

The  multitudes  look  up  to  thee  with  joy. 

But  down  in  Phoenicia  the  purer  forms  of  nature  wor- 
ship had  deteriorated  sadly  into  a  superstitious  fear  of  un- 
seen spirits,  which  the  people  believed  inhabited  rocks  and 
springs  and  trees  as  well  as  the  heavens.  These  spirits 
were  called  Baals  or  Baalim,  and  their  priests  performed 
all  sorts  of  barbarous  rites  to  appease  their  anger,  even 
resorting  to  cutting  themselves  with  knives  in  order  to 

[68] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE 

awaken  the  interest  and  compassion  of  these  gods.  It  was 
very  easy  for  the  Israelites  to  fall  into  the  same  super- 
stitious feelings  when  they  associated  with  these  people. 
The  ease  and  luxury  of  life  on  the  lowlands  were  not  con- 
ducive to  the  plain  living  and  high  thinking  of  life  in  the 
hills.  The  pure  worship  of  the  one  spiritual  God,  Jehovah, 
degenerated  to  the  level  of  heathendom ;  and  when  king 
Ahab  married  Jezebel,  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Tyre, 
who  became  the  ruling  spirit  of  Northern  Israel,  she 
brought  her  gods  with  her  and  hundreds  of  priests  of  Baal 
into  the  land. 

The  great  prophets  came  from  the  hills  and  the  desert, 
those  high  and  lonely  places  where  they  thought  out  pro- 
foundly the  steps  in  true,  reverential  religious  conceptions. 
Abraham  did  this  on  Mount  Moriah  and  Moses  by  the 
burning  bush,  Amos  in  the  wilderness  of  Tekoa  and 
Isaiah  on  Mount  Zion.  The  first  great  prophet  after  the 
Hebrews  returned  from  Egypt  was  Elijah.  He  came  from 
Gilead  near  the  desert  and  was  half  nomad — an  interesting 
person  clothed  in  skins  and  wearing  a  girdle  of  leather.1 
The  modern  fellah  of  the  desert,  with  his  leathern  girdle 
and  hairy  breast  and  arms,  is  said  to  be  the  exact  portrait  of 
Elijah  the  Tishbite  of  old.  This  strange  man  Elijah  would 
suddenly  appear  and  just  as  suddenly  disappear,  daring  to 
walk  right  into  the  presence  of  the  king  himself  and  de- 
liver his  message  without  warning  and  without  wavering. 
He  was  an  epoch-making  character,  and  the  stories  that 
have  come  down  to  us  about  him  are  great  stories.  Here 
we  have  just  the  right  kind  of  hero  to  stir  the  imagina- 
tion of  primitive  people.  He  was  enveloped  in  mystery, 

1  2  Kings  i,  8. 
[69] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

appearing  unannounced  from  somewhere,  no  one  knew 
just  where ;  vanishing  abruptly ;  never  saying  "  by  your 
leave"  for  anything  he  did  ;  of  wonderful  physical  strength 
and  endurance,  outrunning  the  king's  chariot  for  a  stretch 
of  twelve  miles  ;  on  briefest  notice  putting  a  hundred  miles 
between  himself  and  the  wrath  of  the  queen ;  enduring 
the  long  siege  of  famine  with  the  help  of  the  ravens 
and  a  little  trickling  brook  with  which  he  alone  was 
acquainted.1 

Elijah's  message  to  the  people  was  that  Jehovah,  the 
spiritual  God  of  Moses  and  Samuel  and  David,  was  the 
only  true  God,  that  the  Baalim  were  false  gods,  and  that 
the  children  of  Israel  were  doing  wickedly  to  indulge  in 
such  superstitious  worship,  which  led  to  ignoble  rather  than 
lofty  thoughts.  Elijah  was  even  bold  enough  one  day  to 
challenge  these  priests  of  Baal  to  a  religious  duel.  He  led 
them  with  a  crowd  of  people  up  to  Mount  Carmel,  the  high 
promontory  lying  between  the  plains  and  overlooking  them. 
There  he  called  upon  his  God  and  they  called  upon  their 
gods,  to  see  which  one  would  really  answer.  He  knew  his 
God  was  real  and  controlled  the  lightning,  and  so  he  quietly 
waited  until  the  evening  and  with  contemptuous  sarcasm 
mocked  the  priests  of  Baal,  who  resorted  to  slashing  them- 
selves with  knives  and  lances  and  screaming  to  their  gods, 
in  order  to  attract  their  attention.  Tennyson  thus  describes 
this  scene,  in  his  "  Palace  of  Art "  : 

One  was  the  Tishbite  whom  the  raven  fed, 

As  when  he  stood  on  Carmel-steeps 
With  one  arm  stretch'd  out  bare,  and  mock'd  and  said, 

'  Come,  cry  aloud  —  he  sleeps ! ' 

1  I  Kings  xvii,  1-7  ;  xviii,  45  ;  xix,  1-4. 

[70] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE 

Tall,  eager,  lean,  and  strong,  his  cloak  wind-borne 

Behind,  his  forehead  heavenly-bright 
From  the  clear  marble  pouring  glorious  scorn, 

Lit  as  with  inner  light. 

Mount  Carmel,  the  scene  of  this  famous  story,  stands 
out  on  the  coast — a  solitary  sentinel  looking  over  the  sea. 
On  Mount  Carmel  the  grateful  moisture  of  the  clouds  first 
descends.  There  fall  the  first  and  the  best  of  the  rains, 
before  they  are  dried  up  by  the  thirsty  land,  and  so  the 
mountain  is  clothed  in  green  the  year  round.  Its  very 
name  means  "the  Garden,"  and  in  ancient  times  vine- 
yards and  orchards  adorned  its  slopes.  The  Old  Testament 
writers  constantly  used  it  as  the  figure  of  human  beauty  or 
the  symbol  of  God's  lavish  bounty.  To-day  the  mountain 
is  mostly  a  wild,  open  jungle,  but  a  little  imagination  can 
easily  restore  the  picture  of  "  the  excellency  of  Carmel." 
This  "  high  place  "  had  long  been  used  as  a  sanctuary,  and 
now  Jehovah  and  Baal  both  claimed  it.  Commanding  a 
view  of  the  whole  land  (north,  of  Mount  Hermon;  east, 
over  the  wheat  fields  of  Esdraelon ;  south,  over  the  orchards 
of  Sharon  to  the  hills  of  Samaria),  it  was  a  fitting  place  for 
the  followers  of  two  rival  deities  to  settle  their  dispute. 
"  The  awful  debate,  whether  Jehovah  or  Baal  was  supreme 
lord  of  the  elements,  was  fought  out  for  a  full  day  in  face 
of  one  of  the  most  sublime  prospects  of  earth  and  sea  and 
heaven.  ...  It  was  in  the  face  of  that  miniature  universe 
that  the  Deity  who  was  character  was  vindicated  as  Lord, 
against  the  Deity  who  was  not."  l 

So  Obadiah  went  to  meet  Ahab,  and  told  him ;  and  Ahab  went 
to  meet  Elijah.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Ahab  saw  Elijah,  that 

1  Smith,  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  pp.  340,  341. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Ahab  said  unto  him,  Is  it  thou,  thou  troubler  of  Israel?  And  he 
answered,  I  have  not  troubled  Israel ;  but  thou,  and  thy  father's 
house,  in  that  ye  have  forsaken  the  commandments  of  Jehovah,  and 
thou  hast  followed  .the  Baalim.  Now  therefore  send,  and  gather  to 
me  all  Israel  unto  Mount  Carmel,  and  the  prophets  of  Baal  four 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  prophets  of  the  Asherah  four  hundred, 
that  eat  at  Jezebel's  table. 

So  Ahab  sent  unto  all  the  children  of  Israel,  and  gathered  the 
prophets  together  unto  Mount  Carmel.  And  Elijah  came  near  unto 
all  the  people,  and  said,  How  long  go  ye  limping  between  the  two 
sides?  if  Jehovah  be  God,  follow  him  ;  but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him. 
And  the  people  answered  him  not  a  word.  Then  said  Elijah  unto 
the  people,  I,  even  I  only,  am  left  a  prophet  of  Jehovah ;  but  Baal's 
prophets  are  four  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Let  them  therefore  give 
us  two  bullocks ;  and  let  them  choose  one  bullock  for  themselves, 
and  cut  it  in  pieces,  and  lay  it  on  the  wood,  and  put  no  fire  under ; 
and  I  will  dress  the  other  bullock,  and  lay  it  on  the  wood,  and  put  no 
fire  under.  And  call  ye  on  the  name  of  your  god,  and  I  will  call  on 
the  name  of  Jehovah :  and  the  God  that  answereth  by  fire,  let  him 
be  God.  And  all  the  people  answered  and  said,  It  is  well  spoken. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  the  prophets  of  Baal,  Choose  you  one  bul- 
lock for  yourselves,  and  dress  it  first ;  for  ye  are  many ;  and  call 
on  the  name  of  your  god,  but  put  no  fire  under.  And  they  took  the 
bullock  which  was  given  them,  and  they  dressed  it,  and  called  on  the 
name  of  Baal  from  morning  even  until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal,  hear  us. 
But  there  was  no  voice,  nor  any  that  answered.  And  they  leaped 
about  the  altar  which  was  made.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  noon,  that 
Elijah  mocked  them,  and  said,  Cry  aloud ;  for  he  is  a  god :  either  he 
is  musing,  or  he  is  gone  aside,  or  he  is  on  a  journey,  or  peradventure 
he  sleepeth  and  must  be  awaked.  And  they  cried  aloud,  and  cut  them- 
selves after  their  manner  with  knives  and  lances,  till  the  blood  gushed 
out  upon  them.  And  it  was  so,  when  midday  was  past,  that  they 
prophesied  until  the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  evening  oblation ; 
but  there  was  neither  voice,  nor  any  to  answer,  nor  any  that  regarded. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  all  the  people,  Come  near  unto  me ;  and  all 
the  people  came  near  unto  him.  And  he  repaired  the  altar  of  Jehovah 

[72] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  ELIJAH  THE  TISHBITE 

that  was  thrown  down.  And  Elijah  took  twelve  stones,  according 
to  the  number  of  the  tribes  of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  unto  whom  the 
word  of  Jehovah  came,  saying,  Israel  shall  be  thy  name.  And  with 
the  stones  he  built  an  altar  in  the  name  of  Jehovah ;  and  he  made  a 
trench  about  the  altar,  as  great  as  would  contain  two  measures  of 
seed.  And  he  put  the  wood  in  order,  and  cut  the  bullock  in  pieces, 
and  laid  it  on  the  wood.  And  he  said,  Fill  four  jars  with  water,  and 
pour  it  on  the  burnt-offering,  and  on  the  wood.  And  he  said,  Do  it 
the  second  time ;  and  they  did  it  the  second  time.  And  he  said,  Do 
it  the  third  time ;  and  they  did  it  the  third  time.  And  the  water  ran 
round  about  the  altar ;  and  he  filled  the  trench  also  with  water.  And 
it  came  to  pass  at  the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  evening  oblation, 
that  Elijah  the  prophet  came  near,  and  said,  O  Jehovah,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Israel,  let  it  be  known  this  day  that  thou 
art  God  in  Israel,  and  that  I  am  thy  servant,  and  that  I  have  done 
all  these  things  at  thy  word.  Hear  me,  O  Jehovah,  hear  me,  that  this 
people  may  know  that  thou,  Jehovah,  art  God,  and  that  thou  hast 
turned  their  heart  back  again.  Then  the  fire  of  Jehovah  fell,  and 
consumed  the  burnt-offering,  and  the  wood,  and  the  stones,  and  the 
dust,  and  licked  up  the  water  that  was  in  the  trench.  And  when  all 
the  people  saw  it,  they  fell  on  their  faces :  and  they  said,  Jehovah, 
he  is  God ;  Jehovah,  he  is  God.  And  Elijah  said  unto  them,  Take 
the  prophets  of  Baal ;  let  not  one  of  them  escape.  And  they  took 
them ;  and  Elijah  brought  them  down  to  the  brook  Kishon,  and  slew 
them  there. 


SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 
For  Mount  Carmel,  the  Plain  of  Acre,  and  Tyre  and  Sidon,  see 

SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 
KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 
THOMSON.   The  Land  and  the  Book. 
HAZARD.   A  Brief  Pilgrimage  in  the  Holy  Land. 
BAEDEKER.    Palestine  and  Syria. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

[73] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

For  Tyrian  purple,  see 

BAEDEKER.    Palestine  and  Syria. 

For  nature  worship  and  the  Baalim,  see 

Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics,  art.  "  Baal." 
SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 

For  Elijah  and  his  character,  see 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 
Bible  dictionaries. 


[74] 


©  Underwood  &  Underwood 

MT.  CARMEL  AND  THE  PLAIN  OF  ACRE 


SELECTION  VII.    MOUNT  CARMEL  AND 
THE  RAINS 

i  Kings  xvii,  1-7  (3  Kings  xvii,  1-7,  Douay) ;  i  Kings  xviii,  i,  2,  5,  6, 
41-46  (3  Kings  xviii,  i,  2,  5,  6,  41-46,  Douay) 

Mount  Carmel  is  one  of  the  most  significant  parts  of 
the  Holy  Land,  the  most  striking  natural  feature  on  the 
western  side  of  Palestine,  the  one  bold  headland  jutting 
out  into  the  Mediterranean.  It  is  eighteen  hundred  and 
ten  feet  high  at  its  highest  point  near  the  sea,  running 
southeast  and  northwest  for  about  twelve  miles  and  sloping 
gradually  downward.  From  its  summit  there  is  a  mag- 
nificent view  of  the  whole  land.  It  gathers  the  moisture 
freely  because  of  its  height  and  situation  near  the  sea. 
Owing  to  the  heavy  dew  which  falls  every  night  Mount 
Carmel  is  one  of  the  few  spots  in  Palestine  that  remain 
green  throughout  the  whole  year.  A  perfect  garden  of 
foliage  lifting  itself  above  the  wheat  fields  of  the  plain, 
with  vineyards  and  orchards  and  groves  of  oaks,  it  was 
to  the  imagination  of  the  Hebrew  poet  like  the  Ideal 
Maiden's  tresses : 

Thy  waist  is  like  a  heap  of  wheat 

Set  about  with  lilies. 

Thy  head  upon  thee  is  like  Carmel 

And  the  hair  of  thy  head  like  purple ; 

The  king  is  held  captive  in  the  tresses  thereof. 

How  fair  and  how  pleasant  art  thou, 

O  love,  for  delights ! 1 

1  Song  of  Songs  vii,  2,  5,  6. 

[75] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

It  became  a  symbol  of  fertility  and  blessing,  of  the  kind 
of  prosperity  Israel  longed  for,  sure  and  constant  amidst 
the  great  variableness  of  the  fickle  climate,  the  frequent 
droughts,  and  the  fear  of  famine.  It  stood  out  much  more 
prominently  than  the  lowlands  as  the  Hebrew  ideal  of 
the  Land  of  Heart's  Desire,  for  it  was  high  up,  affording 
visions,  so  dear  to  the  best  life  and  thought  of  the  nation. 
It  was  always  a  sacred  retreat ;  even  before  the  Hebrews 
found  it,  its  caverns  and  oak  groves  offered  seclusion  for 
those  who  wished  to  meditate.  Here  Elijah  brought  the 
people  to  try  to  raise  their  thoughts  of  God  above  the 
common  level,1  and  here  the  Shunammite  woman  knew 
she  would  find  Elisha  when  she  was  in  distress.2  To-day 
there  is  a  monastery  on  the  mountain,  harboring  eighteen 
or  twenty  Carmelite  monks.  This  order,  which  took  its 
name  from  Carmel  itself,  sprang  up  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, was  confirmed  by  the  Pope,  and  spread  over  Europe. 
But  the  visions  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  were  not  of  the 
type  of  spirituality  divorced  from  things  of  earth  which 
the  Middle  Ages  cherished.  Heaven  and  earth  were  very 
close  to  each  other  in  the  Hebrew  mind,  and  their  concep- 
tion of  Jehovah  was  of  a  great  God  who  cared  for  the  life 
and  health  and  happiness  of  his  people  on  earth.  Elijah 
believed  this  and  stood  for  two  great  principles :  first,  that 
God  cares  for  the  rights  of  the  common  citizen  ;  and,  sec- 
ond, that  people  should  be  loyal  to  such  a  God.  The  one 
involves  politics  and  the  other  religion  ;  the  whole  history 
of  the  Hebrews  was  an  effort  to  show  that  the  two  could 
not  be  separated.  Because  real  happiness  on  earth  is  the 
result  of  a  well-conducted  government,  the  prophets  stood 

1  Selection  VI.  2  2  Kings  iv. 

[76] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  THE  RAINS 

for  civic  ethics  and  became  counselors  to  kings.  Because 
such  prosperity  is  knit  up  with  the  economic  life  of  peo- 
ple, they  studied  not  only  "the  signs  of  the  times"  politi- 
cally, but  the  signs  of  nature  as  well,  warning  the  people 
to  be  provident,  to  plow  and  sow  and  harvest  as  skillful 
farmers  do,1  to  plant  their  vineyards  with  care,2  to  build 
cisterns  that  did  not  leak,3  and  not  to  put  their  wages  into 
a  bag  with  holes.4  They  believed,  indeed,  in  a  great  God, 
a  Providence  whose  thoughts  were  higher  than  man's 
thoughts  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,5  but 
a  Providence  who  helps  those  who  help  themselves  by 
reflecting  upon  nature's  ways. 

Consequently  Elijah  was  a  weather  prophet.  The  eco- 
nomic life  of  any  people  depends  very  largely  upon  the  rain 
and  moisture.  Hot,  dry  winds  will  very  soon  occasion 
drought,  spoil  crops,  and  cause  famine.  All  countries  are 
dependent  ultimately  for  their  prosperity  upon  the  crops 
and  the  crops  upon  the  weather.  Many  of  the  fluctuations 
of  Wall  Street  are  due  to  an  abundant  wheat  crop  or  a  poor 
yield  of  corn.  Thus  business  man  and  farmer  and  the  gov- 
ernment in  Washington  all  watch  with  anxiety  the  weather 
bureau.  In  ancient  times  they  had  no  weather  bureaus  to 
warn  the  people  of  a  sirocco6  or  a  storm  from  the  sea,7 

1  Isa.  xxviii,  23-29.  8  Isa.  xxii,  9-11  ;  Jer.  ii,  13 ;  xiv,  3. 

2  Isa.  v.  *  Hag.  i,  6.  5  Isa.  Ivii,  8,  9. 

6  "  The  only  dreadful  wind  in  Palestine  is  the  east  wind,  because  it 
blows  from  the  inland  desert  and  brings  excessive  heat.   The  Arabic 
word  for  '  east '  is  sherk,  and  so  for  '  east  wind  '  the  Arab  says  sherk-iyeh. 
From  this  we  get,  by  corruption,  our  word  sirocco  (or  sherokkoh)."  — 
Grant,  The  Peasantry  of  Palestine,  p.  25. 

7  "  The  rain  is  derived  almost  entirely  from  winds  blowing  in  from 
the  Mediterranean  Sea."  —  Huntington,  Palestine  and  its  Transforma- 
tion, p.  36. 

[77] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

but  they  had  the  prophets,  and  they  often  did  as  well.  At 
any  rate,  Elijah  could  tell  what  nature  had  in  store,  and  he 
was  held  in  great  reverence  because  of  this  power.  He  was 
a  man  of  the  desert  and  knew  the  indications  of  those  fear- 
ful drying  east  winds.  He  climbed  the  summit  of  Carmel 
and  could  tell  the  first  signs  of  a  storm  when  the  west 
wind  blew. 

Palestine  is  one  of  the  countries  which  have  a  dry  season 
and  a  rainy  season,  like  our  own  Pacific  Coast.  The  winter, 
from  November  until  April,  is  the  rainy  season,  and  the 
crops  are  very  dependent  upon  the  heavy  rains  of  fall  and 
spring,  "  the  former  and  the  latter  rains,"  because  there  is 
scarcely  a  drop  during  the  six  months  of  summer.  When 
the  winter  rains  fail  there  is  often  a  famine,  and  a  succes- 
sion of  several  years  of  drought  brings  havoc  to  the  people. 
Such  a  famine  occurred  in  Ahab's  reign — a  three  years' 
siege  of  drought.  The  king  was  concerned  for  himself  and 
his  horses  and  the  many  priests  of  Baal  whom  his  wife 
Jezebel  had  imported.  Elijah  was  concerned  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people ;  in  his  estimation  a  king  who  did  not 
hold  his  kingship  as  a  trust  for  the  good  of  every  subject 
was  not  worthy  to  be  a  king. 

And  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of  the  sojourners  of  Gilead,  said 
unto  Ahab,  As  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  liveth,  before  whom  I 
stand,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these  years,  but  according  to 
my  word.  And  the  word  of  Jehovah  came  unto  him,  saying,  Get  thee 
hence,  and  turn  thee  eastward,  and  hide  thyself  by  the  brook  Cherith, 
that  is  before  the  Jordan.  And  it  shall  be,  that  thou  shalt  drink  of  the 
brook ;  and  I  have  commanded  the  ravens  to  feed  thee  there.  So  he 
went  and  did  according  unto  the  word  of  Jehovah ;  for  he  went  and 
dwelt  by  the  brook  Cherith,  that  is  before  the  Jordan.  And  the  ravens 
brought  him  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning,  and  bread  and  flesh  in 

[78] 


MOUNT  CARMEL  AND  THE  RAINS 

the  evening ;  and  he  drank  of  the  brook.  And  it  came  to  pass  after 
a  while,  that  the  brook  dried  up,  because  there  was  no  rain  in  the  land. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  many  days,  that  the  word  of  Jehovah 
came  to  Elijah,  in  the  third  year,  saying,  Go,  show  thyself  unto 
Ahab ;  and  I  will  send  rain  upon  the  earth.  And  Elijah  went  to  show 
himself  unto  Ahab.  And  the  famine  was  sore  in  Samaria.  And  Ahab 
said  unto  Obadiah,  Go  through  the  land,  unto  all  the  fountains  of 
water  and  unto  all  the  brooks :  peradventure  we  may  find  grass  and 
save  the  horses  and  mules  alive,  that  we  lose  not  all  the  beasts.  So 
they  divided  the  land  between  them  to  pass  throughout  it:  Ahab 
went  one  way  by  himself,  and  Obadiah  went  another  way  by  himself. 

And  Elijah  said  unto  Ahab,  Get  thee  up,  eat  and  drink ;  for  there 
is  the  sound  of  abundance  of  rain.  So  Ahab  went  up  to  eat  and  to 
drink.  And  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of  Carmel ;  and  he  bowed  him- 
self down  upon  the  earth,  and  put  his  face  between  his  knees.  And 
he  said  to  his  servant,  Go  up  now,  look  toward  the  sea.  And  he  went 
up,  and  looked,  and  said,  There  is  nothing.  And  he  said,  Go  again 
seven  times.  And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  seventh  time,  that  he  said, 
Behold,  there  ariseth  a  cloud  out  of  the  sea,  as  small  as  a  man's  hand. 
And  he  said,  Go  up,  say  unto  Ahab,  Make  ready  thy  chariot,  and  get 
thee  down,  that  the  rain  stop  thee  not.  And  it  came  to  pass  in  a  little 
while,  that  the  heavens  grew  black  with  clouds  and  wind,  and  there 
was  a  great  rain.  And  Ahab  rode,  and  went  to  Jezreel :  and  the  hand 
of  Jehovah  was  on  Elijah  ;  and  he  girded  up  his  loins,  and  ran  before 
Ahab  to  the  entrance  of  Jezreel. 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  seasons,  rains,  deius,  and  winds  of  Palestine,  see 
SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 
KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 
BAEDEKER.    Palestine  and  Syria. 
GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  Elijah  and  the  principles  he  stood  for,  see 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

[79] 


SELECTION  VIII.    THE  THUNDERSTORM  PSALM 
Ps.  xxix  (xxviii,  Douay) 

Storms  come  up  very  suddenly  in  Palestine.  We  know 
in  our  own  country  how  after  a  long,  dry  period  a  crashing 
thunderstorm  will  break  the  spell.  Often  it  is  accompanied 
by  a  wind  which  does  much  damage,  tearing  the  trees  up 
by  the  roots  and  even  taking  off  the  roofs  of  houses.  The 
Psalmist  describes  such  a  storm  and  the  grandeur  of  it  in 
his  land.  "  Various  poetical  storm-pieces  have  come  down 
from  oriental  antiquity,  the  most  justly  celebrated  being 
the  description  of  the  oncoming  flood  in  the  second  Del- 
uge-Tablet and  Imru'1-Kais'  brilliant  picture  of  the  light- 
ning at  the  close  of  his  Mu'allaka : 

1  Friend,  thou  seest  the  lightning.  Mark  where  it  wavereth, 
Gleaming  like  fingers  twisted,  clasped  in  the  cloud-rivers. 
Like  a  lamp  new-lighted,  so  is  the  flash  of  it, 
Trimmed  by  a  hermit  nightly  pouring  oil-sesame.' 

But  neither  of  these  leads  us  so  truly  into  the  living  spirit 
of  the  storm  as  the  swift,  crashing  strokes  of  the  Hebrew 
Psalm."1 

Nature  lovers  are  not  afraid;  they  often  seek  a  high 
hill  when  a  storm  is  gathering,  to  watch  its  progress  in  silent 
reverence ;  for  a  storm  is  one  of  the  great,  awe-inspiring 
sights  of  nature.  The  Hebrew  poet  was  evidently  standing 
on  one  of  the  peaks  of  the  Lebanons,  where  he  could  watch 
the  clouds  gathering  over  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  He 

1  Gordon,  The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

[80] 


THE  THUNDERSTORM  PSALM 

imagined  that  those  fleecy  shapes,  piled  one  above  another, 
were  the  fitting  background  for  a  choir  of  angels  singing 
"  Glory  to  Jehovah."  And  so  he  sang  : 

Ascribe  unto  Jehovah,  O  ye  angels  of  God, 
Ascribe  unto  Jehovah,  glory  and  strength, 
Ascribe  unto  Jehovah  the  glory  due  unto  his  name ; 
Worship  Jehovah  in  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

But  blacker  and  blacker  grew  the  clouds.  He  could  hear 
the  distant  roar  of  their  thunder,  and  he  imagined  this  to 
be  the  voice  of  Jehovah  himself  above  the  sea,  answering 
the  angels  as  they  praised  his  power.  And  so  he  sang  this 
second  stanza : 

The  voice  of  Jehovah  is  upon  the  waters ; 
The  God  of  glory  thundereth. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  storm,  the  dark  clouds  rolling 
up  one  on  top  of  another,  the  thunder  growing  louder. 

Jehovah's  voice  on  the  mighty  waters ! 

Jehovah's  voice  in  strength,  Jehovah's  voice  in  majesty ! 

Then  suddenly  the  storm  breaks  upon  the  mountains  of 
Lebanon,  tearing  the  great  cedars  in  pieces,  breaking  off 
their  limbs  and  sending  them  scudding  down  the  hillsides  as 
a  young  calf  skips  in  glee  or  as  young  wild  animals  gambol 
about.  The  lightning  plays  beautifully  in  the  sky,  streaking 
the  heavens  with  light  and  striking  swiftly  to  the  earth. 

Jehovah's  voice  shatters  the  cedars, 
Jehovah  shatters  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
He  maketh  Lebanon  to  skip  like  a  calf 
And  Sirion 1  as  a  young  wild  ox. 
Jehovah's  voice  cleaveth  the  rocks, 
Jehovah  cleaveth  them  with  blade  of  fire. 

1  Another  name  for  Hermon. 

[81] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Then  as  the  poet  stands  there  viewing  the  scene  of  de- 
struction he  sees  the  storm  flee  off  to  the  east,  the  wind 
licking  up  the  dry  sand  of  the  wilderness  and  whirling  it 
about  in  great  gusts  like  the  dust  storms  of  our  prairies. 

Jehovah's  voice  lasheth  the  desert, 
Jehovah  lasheth  the  desert  of  Kadesh. 

Looking  about  him  now,  he  perceives  the  havoc  in  the  for- 
ests where  the  lightning  has  struck,  where  many  trees  with 
their  bare  trunks  lie  stripped  of  branches  here  and  there. 

Jehovah's  voice  shivers  the  oaks 
And  strippeth  the  forests  bare.1 

After  such  a  storm  is  over,  a  remarkable  stillness  often 
appears  to  settle  down  upon  the  landscape,  a  hush  and  quiet 
as  if  the  great  Creator  were  whispering  peace  to  every 
troubled  creature,  renewing  again  in  every  heart  faith  in 
the  eternal  Power  that  sits  supreme  over  all.  And  so  the 
poet  wrote  his  final  stanza, 

Jehovah  sits  as  King  at  the  storm ! 
Yea,  Jehovah  sitteth  as  King  forever. 
Jehovah  will  give  strength  to  his  people ; 
Jehovah  will  bless  his  people  with  peace.2 

This  is  more  than  magnificent  imagery  and  magnificent 
poetry ;  it  is  one  of  the  finest  expressions  of  reverence 
and  faith.  The  modern  note  is  touched  here,  for  we  of 
the  occidental  world  have  learned  to  some  extent  to  wor- 
ship God  in  the  open,  as  people  did  in  ancient  times.  One 
of  our  very  modern  American  poets  has  recently  expressed 

1  Another  line  has  been  added  here  by  a  later  writer  using  the  poem 
for  a  temple  hymn. 

2  Perhaps  the  first  and  last  stanzas  were  added  for  use  in  the  temple 
service,  but  they  form  a  fitting  framework  for  the  thought  of  the  poet. 

[82] 


THE  THUNDERSTORM  PSALM 

much  the  same  thought  as  does  this  Psalm  in  his  little  poem 
"The  Place  of  Peace."  l 

At  the  heart  of  the  cyclone  tearing  the  sky 
And  flinging  the  clouds  and  the  towers  by, 
Is  a  place  of  central  calm ; 
So  here  in  the  roar  of  mortal  things, 
I  have  a  place  where  my  spirit  sings, 
In  the  hollow  of  God's  Palm. 

But  simply  to  place  the  one  by  the  side  of  the  other  is 
sufficient  to  reveal  the  exceptional  grandeur  and  dignity, 
even  stateliness,  of  the  Hebrew  Psalm  compared  with  the 
modern  poem.  "  The  language  of  the  Psalms  nowhere 
reaches  such  heights  of  natural  grandeur  as  in  this  sub- 
lime Song  of  the  Thunders." 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  interpretation  of  this  psalm,  see 

SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  chap,  iv,  "  The 

Scenery  of  the  Land  and  its  Reflection  in  the  Bible,"  p.  100. 
International  Critical  Commentary,  "Psalms." 
GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

For  the  full  translation  of  ImruU-Kais"1  Arabic  poem,  see 

Library  of  the  World's  Best  Literature,  art.  "Arabic  Literature." 

For  the  worship  of  God  in  the  open  air,  see 
BRYANT,  WILLIAM  CULLEN.    Forest  Hymn. 
1  Edwin  Markham. 


[83] 


SELECTION  IX.     MOUNT  HERMON,  THE  LAND 
OF  SNOW 

Prov.  xxv,  13  ;  Hos.  xiii,  3;  Hos.  vi,  4;  Hos.  xiv,  6 

"  The  ascent  of  Hermon  cannot  be  undertaken  before 
May.  The  expedition  requires  a  whole  day  and  is  very 
fatiguing.  The  start  should  be  made  before  sunrise.  A 
guide  is  necessary.  Provisions  and  water  should  not  be 
forgotten.  Those  who  intend  to  spend  a  night  in  a  tent 
on  the  top  should  take  a  supply  of  fuel.  Travelers  must 
see  on  the  previous  day  that  the  horses  and  their  gear  are 
fit  for  this  unusually  rough  work,  and  that  they  are  thor- 
oughly well  fed  and  rested.  The  view  is  of  vast  extent, 
embracing  a  great  part  of  Syria."  Thus  reads  the  guide- 
book, and  it  sounds  like  real  climbing. 

One  Arabic  name  for  Hermon  means  "  mountain  of  the 
white-haired,"  or  "snow  mountain,"  and  another  "the  chief 
of  mountains."  It  looms  almost  ten  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea  and  in  the  winter  is  covered  with  masses  of  snow 
which  last  even  into  the  summer  months,  remaining  all 
the  year  round  in  the  deep  ravines.  Saint  Jerome  tells 
us  that  in  olden  times  the  snow  was  collected  and  used  to 
cool  the  beverages  of  the  wealthy.  Perhaps  it  was  used  as 
a  cooling  drink  for  the  harvesters,  as  is  indicated  by  one  of 
the  old  Hebrew  proverbs  : 

As  the  cold  of  snow  in  the  time  of  harvest, 

So  is  a  faithful  messenger  to  them  that  send  him ; 

For  he  refresheth  the  soul  of  his  masters. 

[84] 


THE  SUMMIT  OF  MT.  HERMON 


MOUNT  HERMON,  THE  LAND  OF  SNOW 

The  steep  snow  fields  of  this  mountain  look  admirably 
adapted  to  tobogganing,  and  for  hunting  there  are  bears, 
foxes,  and  wolves.  When  one  reaches  the  top,  one  finds 
three  peaks  hemming  in  a  massive  mountain  plateau,  twenty 
miles  long  from  northeast  to  southwest.  Indeed,  one  of  the 
names  for  the  mountain  as  it  lies  stretched  out  at  full 
length  is  Jebel-esh- Sheik,  or  "Old  Man  of  the  Mountains." 
This  is  something  like  our  humble  "  Mans-field  "  of  the 
Green  Mountains  of  Vermont,  with  the  three  peaks,  fore- 
head, nose,  and  chin,  several  miles  apart.  Vineyards  can 
be  seen  up  to  a  height  of  about  five  thousand  feet;  then 
the  dwarf  green  tragacanth  bushes  and  the  almond  appear. 
Plums,  cherries,  and  pears  grow  on  its  slopes,  and  juniper 
bushes  are  numerous,  while  higher  up  the  stunted  shrubs 
of  the  oriental  steppes  cover  the  ground. 

"The  dew  of  Hermon"  referred  to  in  the  Bible1  comes 
from  the  condensing  of  the  moisture  from  the  breezes  off 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  against  the  high,  cold  peaks  of  the 
mountain.  The  evaporating  dew  of  the  morning  produces 
a  heavy  mist.  Have  you  ever  stayed  all  night  on  the  top 
of  a  mountain  and  looked  down  in  the  early  dawn  upon 
the  widespread  view  below,  with  the  mists  in  the  valleys 
enveloping  the  land,  drifting  and  scudding  along,  making 
ribbons  of  filmy  white  on  a  background  of  green  ?  The 
rising  sun  drives  away  this  dream  in  the  seriousness  of 
the  day's  heat.  Mists  like  these  are  a  boon  to  Palestine  in 
the  hot,  dry  summertime.  Every  green  thing  is  refreshed 
by  the  moisture.  All  the  leaves  and  blossoms  lift  up  their 
heads  and  join  with  the  farmer  in  blessing  Providence. 
These  mists  and  dews  were  so  refreshing  that  to  the  mind 

1  Hos.  xiii,  3  ;  vi,  4. 

[85] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

of  Hosea,  the  poet-prophet  of  the  Northern  Kingdom,  they 
were  the  best  figure  for  the  restored  and  forgiven  soul. 

The  melting  snows  at  the  summit  of  Mount  Hermon 
are  the  sources  of  the  Jordan  River.  The  mountain  itself 
is  one  of  "  the  roots  of  Lebanon"  1;  it  is  the  highest  peak 
of  the  eastern  range  which  runs  off  into  plateaus  east  of  the 
Jordan.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  Jesus'  retreat  just 
before  he  left  Galilee  for  his  final  journey  to  Jerusalem.2 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  Mount  Hermon  and  its  names,  see 

SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 

KENT.   Biblical  Geography  and  History. 

THOMSON.   The  Land  and  the  Book. 

TRISTRAM.   The  Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 

GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 

BALDENSPERGER,  P.  J.    The  Immovable  East.    Small,  Maynard 

&  Company,  New  York.   $2.00. 
BAEDEKER.    Palestine  and  Syria. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  a  beautiful  colored  illustration,  see  the  frontispiece  in 
HAZARD.   A  Brief  Pilgrimage  in  the  Holy  Land. 

1  Hos.  xiv,  5.  2  Luke  ix,  28  ff. 


[86] 


SELECTION  X.    THE  SMELL  OF  LEBANON 
Hos.  xiv,  4-7 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon  have  always  been  renowned ; 
they  were  magnificent  trees,  in  size  somewhat  like  our  red- 
woods of  California,  but  not  so  tall.  Isaiah  speaks  of  them 
as  "the  cedars  of  Lebanon  that  are  high  and  lifted  up"1 
and  "the  glory  of  Lebanon."2  The  Psalmist  says  that 
"the  righteous  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon."3 
Amos  compares  the  tall,  strong  Amorite  to  these  great 
trees,  "  the  Amorite,  whose  height  was  like  the  height  of 
the  cedars." 4  Ezekiel  likened  the  warrior  Assyrian  to  "  a 
cedar  in  Lebanon  with  fair  branches,  and  with  a  forest- 
like  shade,  and  of  high  stature ;  and  its  top  was  among 
the  thick  boughs.5  All  the  birds  of  the  heavens  made 
their  nests  in  its  boughs."  6  Masts  were  made  from  these 
tall  trees— "they  have  taken  a  cedar  from  Lebanon  to 
make  a  mast  for  thee."7 

This  was  the  majestic  imagery  of  the  Old  Testament 
used  to  describe  these  trees,  and  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  there  are  very  few  of  them  left  to-day,  and  those 
much  smaller  and  more  gnarled  than  the  ancient  ones,  we 
know  that  the  language  is  not  extravagant,  for  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  in  localities  where  the  trees  attain  the  normal 

1  Isa.  ii,  13.  5  Ezek.  xxxi,  3. 

2  Isa.  xxxv,  2  ;  Ix,  13.                       6  Ezek.  xxxi,  6. 
8  Ps.  xcii,  12.  7  Ezek.  xxvii,  5. 
*  Amos  ii,  9. 

[87] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

size,  a  board  could  be  cut  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  long 
and  from  six  to  eight  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  tapering  to 
two  or  more  at  the  top,  and  beams  could  be  had  of  almost 
any  thickness  desired.  Some  of  these  trees  grow  to  be  a 
hundred  feet  high. 

This  particular  cedar  (Cednis  libani)  belongs  to  the  coni- 
fers. It  resembles  the  larch  very  closely  and  has  dark 
evergreen  leaves  and  great  cones  as  large  as  a  goose's 
egg.  It  spreads  out  its  massive  branches  in  a  very  charac- 
teristic way,  horizontally  like  a  roof ;  some  of  its  finest 
specimens  look  like  majestic  oaks.  The  wood  of  the  Leb- 
anon cedar  is  almost  indestructible.  Dry  rot  and  borers 
do  not  trouble  it.  It  is  hard,  close-grained,  and  sound  to 
the  heart.  There  is  abundant  testimony  in  history  as  to  its 
durability.  Pliny  says  that  the  cedar  roof  of  the  temple  of 
Diana  at  Ephesus  lasted  four  hundred  years,  and  we  know 
that  the  temple  of  Apollo  at  Utica  endured  eleven  hun- 
dred and  seventy  years.  Of  course  these  trees  were  of  the 
greatest  value  for  building  purposes,  for  in  addition  to 
their  size  and  durability  the  wood  is  of  a  pleasing  whitish 
color,  is  easily  carved,  and  is  susceptible  of  a  high  polish. 
The  Phoenicians  cut  great  quantities  of  it,  sending  the 
lumber  down  into  Egypt  and  to  other  neighboring  coun- 
tries. The  three  temples  at  Jerusalem  were  finished  in 
this  wood,  as  were  also  the  palaces  of  David  and  Sol- 
omon. The  Arabs  still  call  these  trees  "the  cedars  of 
the  Lord." 

To-day  only  a  few  descendants  of  these  magnificent 
trees  remain.  They  are  not  to  be  found  at  all  on  Mount 
Hermon,  and  only  a  few  of  them  on  the  western  ridge  of 
the  Lebanons  and  farther  north.  But  in  Bible  times  there 

[88] 


THE  SMELL  OF  LEBANON 

were  large  forests  covering  the  Lebanon  region.1  Perhaps 
so  much  reckless  cutting  of  these  and  other  forests  had 
something  to  do  with  the  present  treeless  and  barren  con- 
dition of  much  of  the  land. 

The  cedar  of  Lebanon  has  a  most  abundant  balsamic 
juice  exuding  from  every  pore.  Great  beads  of  the  fra- 
grant resin  stand  out  on  every  branch,  and  if  a  cut  is 
made  in  the  bark,  it  runs  out  very  freely.  If  two  branches 
meet  and  rub  against  each  other,  they  are  cemented  by  the 
juice,  so  that  they  grow  fast  together.  It  is  so  fragrant 
that  "the  smell  of  Lebanon"  became  a  well-known  phrase, 
and  the  perfume  of  the  garments  of  the  Ideal  Maiden  was 
likened  to  the  fragrance  of  these  cedar  trees.2 

This  tree  was  the  favorite  of  the  prophets  and  poets  of 
Israel.  Hosea,  the  poet-prophet  of  the  north,  who  was 
steeped  in  the  secrets  of  nature,  loved  this  tree.  His  was 
a  hard  life,  full  of  bitter  experiences  for  a  very  sensitive 
man,  but  through  them  all  he  evidently  sought  comfort 
out  of  doors  in  communion  with  the  fields  and  the  woods, 
God's  messengers  of  health  to  soul  and  mind  as  well  as 
body.  In  later  life,  when  he  had  found  the  harbor  of 
peace  after  his  rough  voyage  of  continual  struggle  with 
the  sin  of  the  world,  he  could  think  of  no  better  way  to 
express  the  love  of  God  to  man  in  forgiving  and  forget- 
ting all  the  past  than  in  figures  drawn  from  the  flowers 
and  the  trees. 

1  "They  probably  covered  all  the  subalpine  peaks  of  Lebanon.    It  is 
also  extremely  probable  that  the  cedar  flourished  in  those  days  on  Her- 
mon  and  Anti- Lebanon."  —  G.  E.  Post,  in  Hastings's  Bible  Dictionary. 
"  Of  the  cedars  there  remain  only  seven  groups.    In  all  there  are  about 
four  hundred  trees."  L.  G.  Leary,  Syria,  the  Land  of  Lebanon,  pp.  1 69, 170. 

2  Song  of  Songs  iv,  u. 

[89] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

I  will  heal  their  backsliding, 

I  will  love  them  freely ; 

For  Mine  anger  is  turned  away  from  them. 

I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel ; 

He  shall  blossom  as  the  lily, 

And  strike  his  roots  deep  as  Lebanon ; 

His  branches  shall  spread, 

And  his  beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive-tree, 

And  his  smell  as  Lebanon. 

They  shall  return  and  dwell  in  His  shadow, 

They  shall  live  well-watered  as  a  garden, 

Till  they  flourish  like  the  vine, 

And  be  fragrant  like  the  wine  of  Lebanon.1 

Dr.  George  Adam  Smith,  the  Scotch  scholar,  who  has 
done  more  than  any  other  living  man  in  the  study  of  the 
geography  of  Palestine,  thus  interprets  the  reference  to  the 
dew  and  the  smell  of  Lebanon  —  "  the  smell  of  clear  moun- 
tain air  with  the  scent  of  the  pines  upon  it.  No  wonder 
that  our  northern  prophet  painted  the  blessed  future  in  the 
poetry  of  the  Mountain  —  its  air,  its  dew,  and  its  trees.  .  .  . 
With  his  home  in  the  north,  and  weary  of  everything  arti- 
ficial, whether  it  were  idols  or  puppet-kings,  Hosea  turns  to 
the  '  glory  of  Lebanon '  as  it  lies,  untouched  by  human  tool 
or  art,  fresh  and  full  of  peace  from  God's  own  hand.  .  .  . 
His  sacraments  are  the  open  air,  the  mountain  breeze,  the 
dew,  the  vine,  the  lilies,  the  pines ;  and  what  God  asks 
of  men  are  life  and  health,  fragrance  and  fruitfulness,  be- 
neath the  shadow  and  the  dew  of  His  Presence/' 2 

This  is  the  modern  message  of  the  saved  man,  the 
healthy,  wholesome,  out-of-doors  message,  the  virile,  up- 
lifting, social  message. 

1  Hos.  xiv,  4-7,  G.  A.  Smith's  translation. 

2  Smith,  The  Book  of  the  Twelve  Prophets. 

[90] 


THE  SMELL  OF  LEBANON 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  Lebanons  and  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  see 

TRISTRAM.    Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
BAEDEKER.   Palestine  and  Syria. 
Hastings's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible. 
KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
THOMSON.    The  Land  and  the  Book. 

LEARY,  L.  G.    Syria,  the  Land  of  Lebanon.    McBride,  Nast  and 
Company,  New  York.    $1.25. 

For  a  thorough  discussion  of  the  question  of  the  deforestation  of  the 
Lebanons  affecting  the  climate  and  condition  of  the  land,  see 

HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation,  pp.  253-268. 
FERNOW,  BERNHARD  E.   History  of  Forestry,  pp.  9,  10. 

For  interpretation  of  Hosea's  message,  see 

SMITH,  G.  A.  The  Book  of  the  Twelve  Prophets,  Vol.  I,  chap.  xx. 
George  H.  Doran  Company,  New  York.    2  vols.,  50  cents  each. 


[91] 


SELECTION  XI.    NAAMAN'S  SCORN 
OF  THE  JORDAN 

2  Kings  v,  1-19  a  (4  Kings  v,  1-19  a,  Douay) 

The  stories  of  early  folklore  are  the  natural,  na'fve  ex- 
pressions of  the  elemental  feelings  of  the  human  race. 
Love  and  hate,  joy  and  grief,  have  not  been  toned  down 
to  the  proprieties  of  civilization ;  they  burst  out  in  terse 
and  telling  invective,  rapturous  adoration,  or  heart-breaking 
distress  at  the  call  of  the  moment,  lacking  all  self-con- 
sciousness and  therefore  without  affectation.  Scorn  is  an 
elemental  feeling  and  irony  or  sarcasm  its  expression.  We 
are  governed  largely  by  our  dislikes  and  antipathies.  Cul- 
ture and  civilization  teach  us  to  control  these,  or  at  least 
to  smooth  them  down  for  the  comfort  of  those  with 
whom  we  associate.  In  later  literature  all  these  feelings 
are  more  subtly  expressed,  satire  takes  the  place  of  out- 
spoken irony  and  sarcasm,  and  even  love's  passion  is 
properly  timed  and  attuned  to  the  occasion.  But  a  part  of 
the  charm  of  the  early  folk-story  is  the  natural,  unpremedi- 
tated expression  of  feelings  common  to  the  race.  In  the 
groups  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  stories  we  have  scorn  delight- 
fully expressed  in  the  tersest  kind  of  sarcasm.  What  could 
be  more  refreshing  than  Elijah's  stinging  comments  on 
the  indifference  of  the  god  Baal?  " Perhaps  he  is  musing, 
or  is  gone  aside  or  is  on  a  journey,  or  peradventure  he 
sleepeth  and  must  be  awaked !  " 

[92] 


NAAMAN'S  SCORN  OF  THE  JORDAN 

In  the  Elisha  story  of  Naaman  the  leper,  we  have 
another  sarcastic  stroke,  dealt  out  this  time  against  the 
innocent  Jordan  River.  A  man  brought  up  in  Damas- 
cus, accustomed  to  bathe  in  the  pure,  clear  waters  of  the 
beautiful  Abana,  whose  very  name  means  coolness  and 
refreshment,  was  told  to  go  and  dip  himself  in  the  muddy, 
coffee-colored  Jordan,  whose  slimy  banks  are  haunted  by 
lizards  and  snakes.  It  was  as  if  a  New  Englander,  brought 
up  as  a  boy  to  wade  and  swim  and  fish  in  the  clear,  sweet 
mountain  streams  that  flow  down  from  the  hills  of  New 
Hampshire,  should  go  out  to  the  Missouri  River,  the  "  Big 
Muddy  "  of  America,  and  be  told  that  a  bath  in  its  murky 
water  would  cleanse  him  inside  and  out.  Imagine  his 
scorn!  Such  scorn  was  Naaman 's,  vigorously  expressed. 

But  Naaman  was  wroth,  and  went  away,  and  said,  Behold,  I 
thought,  He  will  surely  come  out  to  me,  and  stand,  and  call  on  the 
name  of  Jehovah  his  God,  and  wave  his  hand  over  the  place,  and 
recover  the  leper.  Are  not  Abanah  and  Pharpar,  the  rivers  of 
Damascus,  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ?  may  I  not  wash  in 
them  and  be  clean  ?  So  he  turned,  and  went  away  in  a  rage. 

In  reading  the  story  be  sure  to  get  the  setting.  There  are 
several  striking  scenes  :  the  important  Syrian  general  dis- 
covering that  he  has  the  dread  disease  of  leprosy,  and  the 
home  scene  of  distress,  when  the  little  Hebrew  waiting  maid, 
who  has  been  carried  off  a  captive  in  the  last  war  with  Israel, 
overhears  the  laments  of  her  mistress.  If  any  such  dire 
calamity  had  come  to  her  house  in  Israel,  the  first  thing 
they  would  have  done  would  be  to  go  to  the  great  good 
prophet,  Elisha,  for  had  he  not  been  able  to  do  wonders  for 
the  people  ?  He  had  brought  the  Shunammite's  boy  to  life 1 

1  2  Kings  iv,  8-37. 

[93] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

and  had  sweetened  the  bad  waters  of  Jericho1  and  had 
taken  the  poison  out  of  the  pottage.2  He  seemed  to  be 
all-wise  and  to  help  everyone  out  of  his  trouble.  Surely 
he  could  help  her  master  in  his  distress.  Then  the  whis- 
pered counsel  with  each  other  (the  mistress  and  the 
master),  the  willingness  to  catch  at  any  straw  to  save 
life,  the  messenger  sent  to  the  king  of  Syria,  the  ready 
response  with  letters  of  introduction  to  the  king  of 
Israel  and  a  great  train  of  attendants  fitted  out  with 
presents,  and  the  royal  caravan  made  ready  for  the  jour- 
ney;3 the  arrival  of  this  richly  caparisoned  troop  in  the 
streets  of  Samaria ;  the  curiosity  and  conjectures  of  every 
Hebrew  on  the  street  as  to  why  such  a  visit  should  be 
made ;  the  panic  of  the  king  in  his  palace,  suspecting  a 
deep-laid  plot  for  a  quarrel  and  another  war ;  the  message 
from  Elisha  to  send  Naaman  down  to  him ;  the  conster- 
nation of  the  neighbors  as  this  great  personage  came  with 
his  cavalcade  of  horses  and  chariots  and  stood  in  front  of 
the  humble  cottage  of  the  prophet ;  then,  finally,  Naaman's 
consternation  and  wrath  when  Elisha,  instead  of  paying 
him  decent  respect,  simply  sent  his  servant  out  and  told 
him  to  go  and  wash  in  the  muddy  Jordan  river !  But  after- 
wards, his  listening  to  the  common  sense  of  his  servants  — 
"  If  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  wouldest 
thou  not  have  done  it  ?  "  —and  the  humbling  of  his  pride 
when  he  wades  out  into  the  mud  and  makes  the  plunge ; 
last  of  all,  his  gratitude  to  Jehovah,  Elisha's  God.  He 
would  still  be  obliged  for  political  reasons  to  go  through 

1  2  Kings  ii,  19-22. 

2  2  Kings  iv,  38-41. 

8  See  Selection  II,  account  of  the  caravans. 

[94] 


NAAMAN'S  SCORN  OF  THE  JORDAN 

the  forms  of  worship  to  the  Syrian  god  Rimmon,  but  in 
his  heart  Jehovah  would  be  enthroned. 

Now  Naaman,  captain  of  the  host  of  the  king  of  Syria,  was  a 
great  man  with  his  master,  and  honorable,  because  by  him  Jehovah 
had  given  victory  unto  Syria :  he  was  also  a  mighty  man  of  valor, 
but  he  was  a  leper.  And  the  Syrians  had  gone  out  in  bands,  and 
had  brought  away  captive  out  of  the  land  of  Israel  a  little  maiden ;  and 
she  waited  on  Naaman's  wife.  And  she  said  unto  her  mistress,  Would 
that  my  lord  were  with  the  prophet  that  is  in  Samaria !  then  would 
he  recover  him  of  his  leprosy.  And  one  went  in,  and  told  his  lord, 
saying,  Thus  and  thus  said  the  maiden  that  is  of  the  land  of  Israel. 
And  the  king  of  Syria  said,  Go  now,  and  I  will  send  a  letter  unto 
the  king  of  Israel.  And  he  departed,  and  took  with  him  ten  talents 
of  silver,  and  six  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  and  ten  changes  of  raiment. 
And  he  brought  the  letter  to  the  king  of  Israel,  saying,  And  now 
when  this  letter  is  come  unto  thee,  behold,  I  have  sent  Naaman  my 
servant  to  thee,  that  thou  mayest  recover  him  of  his  leprosy.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  the  king  of  Israel  had  read  the  letter,  that  he 
rent  his  clothes,  and  said,  Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  to  make  alive, 
that  this  man  doth  send  unto  me  to  recover  a  man  of  his  leprosy? 
but  consider,  I  pray  you,  and  see  how  he  seeketh  a  quarrel  against  me. 

And  it  was  so,  when  Elisha  the  man  of  God  heard  that  the  king 
of  Israel  had  rent  his  clothes,  that  he  sent  to  the  king,  saying,  Where- 
fore hast  thou  rent  thy  clothes?  let  him  come  now  to  me,  and  he 
shall  know  that  there  is  a  prophet  in  Israel.  So  Naaman  came  with 
his  horses  and  with  his  chariots,  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  house 
of  Elisha.  And  Elisha  sent  a  messenger  unto  him,  saying,  Go  and 
wash  in  the  Jordan  seven  times,  and  thy  flesh  shall  come  again  to 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean.  But  Naaman  was  wroth,  and  went 
away,  and  said,  Behold,  I  thought,  He  will  surely  come  out  to  me, 
and  stand,  and  call  on  the  name  of  Jehovah  his  God,  and  wave  his 
hand  over  the  place,  and  recover  the  leper.  Are  not  Abanah  and 
Pharpar,  the  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ? 
may  I  not  wash  in  them,  and  be  clean  ?  So  he  turned  and  went  away 
in  a  rage.  And  his  servants  came  near,  and  spake  unto  him,  and 
said,  My  father,  if  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing, 

[95] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

wouldest  thou  not  have  done  it?  how  much  rather  then,  when  he 
saith  to  thee,  Wash,  and  be  clean  ?  Then  went  he  down,  and  dipped 
himself  seven  times  in  the  Jordan,  according  to  the  saying  of  the  man 
of  God ;  and  his  flesh  came  again  like  unto  the  flesh  of  a  little  child, 
and  he  was  clean. 

And  he  returned  to  the  man  of  God,  he  and  all  his  company,  and 
came,  and  stood  before  him ;  and  he  said,  Behold  now,  I  know  that 
there  is  no  God  in  all  the  earth,  but  in  Israel :  now  therefore,  I  pray 
thee,  take  a  present  of  thy  servant.  But  he  said,  As  Jehovah  liveth, 
before  whom  I  stand,  I  will  receive  none.  And  he  urged  him  to  take 
it;  but  he  refused.  And  Naaman  said,  If  not,  yet,  I  pray  thee,  let  there 
be  given  to  thy  servant  two  mules'  burden  of  earth ;  for  thy  servant 
will  henceforth  offer  neither  burnt  offering  nor  sacrifice  unto  other 
gods,  but  unto  Jehovah.  In  this  thing  Jehovah  pardon  thy  servant : 
when  my  master  goeth  into  the  house  of  Rimmon  to  worship  there, 
and  he  leaneth  on  my  hand,  and  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon, 
when  I  bow  myself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  Jehovah  pardon  thy 
servant  in  this  thing.  And  he  said  unto  him,  Go  in  peace. 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  Jordan  River,  see 

SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  chap,  xxii,  "The 

Jordan  Valley." 

KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  Naaman,  leprosy,  Damascus,  the  Abana  and  Pharpar,  see 

Bible  dictionaries. 
For  the  historical  setting  of  this  passage,  see 

OTTLEY,  R.  L.   A  Short  History  of  the  Hebrews,  pp.  173,  174. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York.   $1.50. 

For  the  storm-god  Rimmon,  see 
Bible  dictionaries. 


[96] 


SELECTION  XII.    THE  BULLS  OF  BASHAN  AND 
THE  BALM  OF  GILEAD 

Ps.  xxii,  12  (xxi,  13,  Douay) ;   Deut.  xxxii,  9-15;  Jer.  1,  17-19; 
Gen.  xxxvii,  25;  Gen.  xliii,  n  ;  Jer.  viii,  18-22 

East  of  the  Jordan  and  up  the  steep  banks  about  two 
thousand  feet  lie  the  high  plateaus  of  Bashan  and  Gilead, 
and  farther  south  those  of  Moab  and  Edom,  running  off 
to  the  desert  of  Arabia.  Mount  Hermon  is  one  of  the 
"roots"  of  the  Lebanons  or  more  properly  of  the  Anti- 
Lebanons,  as  the  eastern  range  is  called.  In  the  Book  of 
Joshua  it  is  called  "  Lebanon  toward  the  sunrising,"  l  in 
the  Song  of  Songs  "  the  tower  of  Lebanon  which  looketh 
toward  Damascus."2  It  is  the  prince  of  peaks,  sending 
down  its  melted  snows  and  moisture  to  the  rich,  unbroken 
plain  of  Bashan.  Back  of  the  plain  to  the  east  are  high 
volcanic  mountains.  One  of  these  mountains  is  mentioned 
in  the  Bible  as  "the  mount  of  gables"  or  "the  mount  of 
summits,"3  for  the  tops  are  cone-  or  gable-shaped  summits 
of  extinct  volcanoes.  They  rise  between  five  and  six  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  One  of  them  to-day  is 
called  "the  mount  of  the  Druses,"  for  a  small  race  known 
as  the  Druses,  an  offshoot  of  the  Syrians  of  the  Lebanon 
region,  now  live  there.  These  people,  very  fierce  and 
quarrelsome  with  their  neighbors,  are  dreaded  on  account 

1  Josh,  xiii,  5. 

2  Song  of  Songs  vii,  4. 

8  Ps.  Ixviii,  1 5,  American  Revised  Version,  marginal  reading. 

[97] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

of  their  robber  raids.1  The  caves  of  these  mountains 
afford  splendid  refuge  for  robbers,  a  natural  hiding  place 
for  plunderers.  The  high  plain  lying  at  the  foot  and 
watered  by  the  snows  of  Hermon  has  always  been  famous 
for  its  cattle.  When  the  Psalmist  wanted  a  picture  of  him- 
self in  trouble  he  said, 

Strong  bulls  of  Bashan  have  beset  me  round.2 

When  the  great  poet  of  the  last  chapters  of  Deuteronomy 
wanted  to  show  the  wonderful  way  in  which  the  Lord  had 
led  and  blessed  Israel,  he  represented  Jehovah  as  carrying 
him  from  the  desert  northward  as  an  eagle  carries  her 
young,  and  putting  him  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth, 
where  he  could  eat  the  fruit  of  the  field  and  honey  out  of 
the  rock,  butter  of  the  herd  and  milk  of  the  flock,  with 
fat  of  lambs  and  rams  of  the  breed  of  Bashan. 

For  Jehovah's  portion  is  his  people ; 

Jacob  is  the  lot  of  his  inheritance. 

He  found  him  in  a  desert  land, 

And  in  the  waste  howling  wilderness ; 

He  compassed  him  about,  he  cared  for  him, 

He  kept  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye, 

As  an  eagle  that  stirreth  up  her  nest, 

That  fluttereth  over  her  young, 

Spreadeth  abroad  her  wings,  taketh  them, 

Beareth  them  on  her  pinions. 

Jehovah  alone  did  lead  him, 

He  made  him  ride  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth, 

And  he  did  eat  of  the  increase  of  the  field ; 

And  he  made  him  to  suck  honey  out  of  the  rock, 

1  Hastings's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  and  Huntington,  Palestine  and 
its  Transformation. 

2  Ps.  xxii,  12. 

[98] 


BULLS  OF  BASHAN  AND  BALM  OF  GILEAD 

And  oil  out  of  the  flinty  rock ; 

Butter  of  the  herd,  and  milk  of  the  flock, 

With  the  fat  of  lambs, 

And  rams  of  the  breed  of  Bashan,  and  goats, 

With  the  finest  of  the  wheat ; 

And  of  the  blood  of  the  grape  thou  drankest  wine. 

But  just  as  those  fat,  sleek  bulls  of  Bashan  would  kick 
their  masters  if  they  had  a  chance,  so  the  poet  represents 
the  ingratitude  of  Israel  towards  their  God. 

But  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and  kicked : 

Thou  art  waxed  fat,  thou  art  grown  thick,  thou  art  become  sleek ; 

Then  he  forsook  God  who  made  him, 

And  lightly  esteemed  the  Rock  of  his  salvation.1 

The  prophet  Jeremiah  also  at  the  time  of  the  Babylonian 
captivity  can  think  of  no  more  comforting  hope  to  hold  out 
to  his  people  than  that  they  shall  return  like  half -starved  and 
hunted  sheep  to  feed  in  the  rich  pasture  lands  of  Bashan. 

Israel  is  a  hunted  sheep ;  the  lions  have  driven  him  away :  first, 
the  king  of  Assyria  devoured  him ;  and  now  at  last  Nebuchadrezzar 
king  of  Babylon  hath  broken  his  bones.  Therefore  thus  saith  Jehovah 
of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel :  Behold,  I  will  punish  the  king  of  Babylon 
and  his  land,  as  I  have  punished  the  king  of  Assyria.  And  I  will 
bring  Israel  again  to  his  pasture,  and  he  shall  feed  on  Carmel  and 
Bashan,  and  his  soul  shall  be  satisfied  upon  the  hills  of  Ephraim  and 
in  Gilead.2 

Even  to-day  the  size  of  the  oxen  in  this  part  of  Palestine 
reminds  the  traveler  of  the  famous  "  kine  of  Bashan  "  of 
Biblical  times.  But  the  land  that  formerly  was  used  only 

1  Deut.  xxxii,  9-1 5,  American  Revised  Version,  with  marginal  read- 
ings.   "  This  splendid  '  Song  of  Moses '  is  a  richly  colored  poetical 
survey  of  Israel's  history  in  the  spirit  of  the  greater  prophets."  — 
Gordon,  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

2  Jer.  1,  17-19. 

[99] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

for  grazing  is  much  of  it  now  under  the  plow  with  rich 
returns  in  fields  of  wheat.  This  change  is  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  the  soil,  being  made  of  the  deposits  of  lava 
from  the  volcanic  mountains  near  by,  had  not  in  those 
olden  times  lain  long  enough  to  disintegrate  and  lend 
itself  to  cultivation. 

Just  south  of  this  plateau  of  Bashan  lie  the  hills  of 
Gilead.  The  Yarmuk  River,  flowing  precipitously  down 
the  bluff  to  the  Jordan,  separates  the  two  sections  of  this 
eastern  range.  This  territory  is  densely  wooded  in  places  ; 
the  tops  of  the  hills  are  covered  with  pine  trees.  Beneath 
them  is  a  zone  of  evergreen  oaks,  and  lower  down  there 
is  the  deciduous  oak  mixed  with  wild  olive  and  semitropical 
trees,  while  near  the  Jordan  valley  is  found  the  palm.  Here, 
too,  are  the  arbutus  and  the  myrtle,  and  by  the  streams  is 
the  pink  oleander,  a  shrub  of  gorgeous  beauty,  fringing 
the  banks  of  the  upper  Jordan  and  the  Yarmuk,  Jabbok, 
and  Arnon  rivers  east  of  the  Jordan.  The  location  of  the 
streams  can  readily  be  seen  by  the  ribbon  of  burning  red 
blossoms  against  the  deep  green  foliage.  It  is  perhaps  the 
tree  to  which  the  righteous  man  is  compared  : 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  wicked, 

Nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 

Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  scoffers : 

But  his  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord ; 

And  on  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night. 

And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  streams  of  water, 

That  bringeth  forth  its  fruit  in  its  season, 

Whose  leaf  also  doth  not  wither ; 

And  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  prosper.1 

1  Ps.  i,  1-3,  American  Revised  Version  (with  exception  of  the  Lord 
for  Jehovah). 

[100] 


BULLS  OF  BASHAN  AND  BALM  OF  GILEAD 

Sometimes  in  Gilead  the  oleander  grows  as  high  as  a  forest 
tree,  under  the  shade  of  which  the  traveler  may  camp  or  rest. 
Its  branches  are  used  for  the  out-of-door  booths  in  which 
the  people  camp  while  harvesting  the  grapes.  Amidst  the 
oak  groves  are  open  glades  and  dells,  where  sheep  graze  and 
grain  is  harvested  and  olive  orchards  are  planted.  No  won- 
der some  of  the  Israelites  begged  to  be  allowed  to  remain 
here  in  this  land  so  attractive  to  the  farmer  and  the  shep- 
herd, rather  than  cross  over  and  settle  among  the  rugged 
Judean  hills.  To  one  acquainted  with  the  country  the  very 
name  Gilead  suggests  a  quiet  retreat,  a  land  of  balm  and 
health  for  body  and  mind.  These  high  hills  shut  away  from 
the  rest  of  the  country  were  the  refuge  David  sought  when 
he  fled  from  his  son  Absalom,  who  was  trying  to  dethrone 
him,  and  in  one  of  these  oaks  Absalom  caught  his  hair 
and  ignominiously  met  his  death.  It  was  from  Gilead  that 
Elijah  came,  and  here  he  found  his  retreat  when  the  famine 
drove  him  to  the  brook  where  he  was  fed  by  the  ravens. 
This  is  the  land  that  gave  us  the  phrase  "  the  balm  of 
Gilead."  It  was  from  Gilead  that  the  Ishmaelites,  to  whom 
Joseph  was  sold,  came  "  with  their  camels  bearing  spicery 
and  balm  and  myrrh."1  This  balm  with  its  wonderful  me- 
dicinal properties  was  one  of  the  "  choice  fruits  of  the 
land  "  which  Jacob  sent  down  to  Egypt  as  a  present  to 
his  unknown  son  Joseph,  then  a  great  official  at  Pharaoh's 
court.2  Ezekiel  describes  the  Israelites  as  trading  in  "  wheat 
and  pannag  [a  kind  of  spice,  probably]  and  honey  and  oil 
and  balm."3  Jeremiah  twice  uses  the  word  balm  as  the 
figurative  expression  for  the  great  restorative  in  the  time 
of  a  nation's  desperate  sickness. 

1  Gen.  xxxvii,  25.          2  Gen.  xliii,  n.  *  Ezek.  xxvii^i?. 

[    I01    ]  fiTATF   T 

SANTA    r.'^BAR' 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Go  up  into  Gilead,  and  take  balm,  O  virgin  daughter  of  Egypt : 
in  vain  dost  thou  use  many  medicines ;  there  is  no  healing  for  thee.1 

Oh  that  I  could  comfort  myself  against  sorrow !  my  heart  is  faint 
within  me.  Behold,  the  voice  of  the  cry  of  the  daughter  of  my  people 
from  a  land  that  is  very  far  off :  Is  not  Jehovah  in  Zion?  is  not  her 
King  in  her  ?  Why  have  they  provoked  me  to  anger  with  their  graven 
images,  and  with  foreign  vanities?  The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer 
is  ended,  and  we  are  not  saved.  For  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my 
people  am  I  hurt :  I  mourn ;  dismay  hath  taken  hold  on  me.  Is  there 
no  balm  in  Gilead  ?  is  there  no  physician  there  ?  why  then  is  not  the 
health  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  recovered  ?  2 

There  is  a  false  balm  of  Gilead  sold  now  to  the  trav- 
eler ;  the  tree  from  which  it  is  made  grows  on  the  sultry 
plains  along  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  oil  from  the 
berry  is  prepared  by  the  Arabs  about  Jericho  and  called 
the  balm  of  Gilead.  But  it  is  not  the  genuine  article 
referred  to  in  the  Bible.  That  tree  was  the  balm  of  Gilead 
of  the  botanists  (Balsamodendron  gileadense]  and  is  to-day 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city  of  Mecca.  Its  orig- 
inal home  was  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa,  but  in  the  days 
of  the  Hebrews  we  find  it  as  a  cultivated  plant  in  the 
plains  of  Jericho,  where  it  was  grown  as  late  as  the  time 
of  the  Jewish  writer  Josephus,  who  lived  until  after  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  70  A.D.  There  is  a  tradition 
that  the  Queen  of  Sheba  presented  some  of  it  to  King 
Solomon,  who  had  it  planted  there.  Cleopatra  sent  to 
Jericho  for  some  of  the  plants  for  her  garden  at  Heliopolis. 
Twice  this  balm  tree  was  paraded  in  the  triumphal  proces- 
sions at  Rome  :  once  in  65  B.C.  when  Pompey  came  home 
from  his  trip  to  the  East  and  his  conquest  of  Judea,  and  a 
second  time  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus  in 

1  Jer.  xlvi,  n.  2  Jer.  viii,  18-22. 

[102] 


BULLS  OF  BASHAN  AND  BALM  OF  GILEAD 

70  A.D.,  when  the  balm  tree  was  taken  together  with  the 
golden  candlestick  and  all  the  treasures  of  the  Temple. 
It  is  not  a  very  imposing  tree,  only  a  small  evergreen 
without  much  foliage  and  with  small  white  blossoms.  Its 
value  is  in  the  balsam,  which  may  be  drained  out  through 
a  cut  in  the  bark  or  obtained  from  the  green  nuts.  When 
the  nuts  are  ripe  they  are  reddish  black  with  a  pulpy  case 
containing  a  fragrant  yellow  seed.  An  inferior  quality  of 
balsam  is  also  obtained  from  the  young  wood  by  bruising 
and  boiling  it.  This  precious  balsam  was  used  internally 
as  a  medicine  and  externally  for  wounds.  Tacitus,  Strabo, 
and  Pliny  all  speak  of  the  balm  of  Gilead  as  very  valuable 
and  coming  from  Palestine. 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  Bashan  and  Gilead,  see 

SMITH.    Historical  Geography  of  the   Holy  Land,  chap,  xxvii, 

"  Israel  in  Gilead  and  Bashan." 
KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 

For  the  Druses,  see 

HUNTINGTON.   Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 
Encyclopaedias. 

For  the  oleander  and  the  balm  of  Gilead,  see 

TRISTRAM.    Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  location  of  the  brook  Cherith,  see 
Bible  dictionaries. 


[103] 


SELECTION  XIII.    THE  CAVES 

Gen.  xix,  30;  Obad.  3,  4,  10-15  (Abdias  3,  4,  10-15,  Douay);  i  Sam. 

xxiv  (i  Kings  xxiv,  Douay);  i  Sam.  xiii,  5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23  (i  Kings  xiii, 

5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23,  Douay) ;  i  Sam.  xxii,  1,2(1  Kings  xxii,  I,  2,  Douay) ; 

i  Sam.  xxviii,  3-25  (i  Kings  xxviii,  3-25,  Douay) ;  Amos  ix,  ib~3a 

The  caves  of  Palestine  have  figured  extensively  in  the 
life  and  literature  of  its  people.  The  limestone  and  soft 
chalk  deposits  of  the  hills  lend  themselves  readily  to  the 
formation  of  natural  caves  varying  in  size  from  a  very 
small  hole  to  a  palatial  suite  of  rooms.  Some  of  them 
are  easy  of  access,  near  the  surface  of  the  ground ;  others 
are  hard  to  get  at,  under  the  mountains.  They  have  been 
used  for  all  kinds  of  purposes  —  dwellings,  hiding  places, 
sheep  pens,  graves,  cisterns,  and  even  a  laundry.  They 
are  found  all  the  way  around  from  Edrei,  the  capital  of 
Bashan  and  the  home  of  the  giant  king  Og,1  with  his 
wonderful  bedstead,  through  Gilead,  Moab,  and  Edom 
east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  around  Jerusalem  and  Hebron, 
where  Abraham  buried  his  wife  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah, 
to  the  caves  of  the  Shephelah  or  "  Samson  country,"  where 
David  sought  refuge  from  Saul.  In  very  ancient  times 
there  were  people  who  made  the  caves  their  homes,  and 
even  to-day  in  very  primitive  and  uncivilized  places  they 
are  thus  used.  These  people  are  called  cave  dwellers,  or 
troglodytes.  We  know  that  long  before  Abraham  came  to 

1  Deut.  iii,  1 1 . 
[I04] 


THE  CAVES 

Palestine  there  were  such  cave  dwellers  in  that  land.  The 
country  is  full  of  wild  gorges  honeycombed  with  caves. 
Here  and  there  one  finds  signs  that  they  were  used  long 
ago  by  troglodytes  and  hermits.  Now  goats  are  often  kept 
in  them,  and  they  afford  a  refuge  if  one  is  caught  in  the 
rain.  True  troglodytes  are  found  even  to-day  in  the  hills 
of  Gilead.  There  are  cave  villages  in  Bashan,  used  now 
as  a  refuge  from  Arab  robbers,  but  once  probably  inhab- 
ited all  the  time.  Thirty  miles  northeast  of  Edrei  there 
is  an  inscription  on  the  rock,  written  by  King  Agrippa  I, 
exhorting  the  people  to  give  up  the  practice  of  living  like 
wild  beasts  in  caves.  Indeed,  the  caves  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Jordan  are  most  famous  as  hiding  places.  A 
traveler  thus  describes  exploring  one  of  them  :  "  When 
all  was  ready  we  were  one  by  one  let  twirling  down  by  a 
rope  into  a  cistern  where  straw  was  stored.  At  the  bottom 
the  only  opening  was  a  hole  two  feet  in  diameter,  through 
which  we  squeezed  head  first  and  found  ourselves  in  a 
passage  of  about  the  same  height.  Lighting  our  candles 
we  went  forward,  sometimes  on  hands  and  knees  and 
sometimes  on  our  stomachs,  like  worms  trailing  over  the 
damp  mud  of  the  cavern  floor.  We  continually  expected 
to  reach  a  larger  passageway,  but  never  did,  although 
occasionally  the  tunnel  widened  into  a  cave  where  one 
could  stand  and  walk  around.  Three  times  we  came  to 
chambers  large  enough  to  furnish  shelter  to  a  score  of  peo- 
ple ;  again  we  traversed  passages  whose  branches  ended 
sometimes  in  blank  walls  of  masonry  or  in  shafts  leading 
up  to  the  courtyards  of  houses  in  the  village  or  in  dry 
cisterns  which  once  furnished  water  to  the  people  of  the 
caves.  We  crawled  for  an  hour  and  a  half  and  came  out 

[105] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

plastered  with  mud  from  head  to  foot.  No  one  knows  just 
when  the  caves  were  made,  but  their  use  is  evident.  They 
were  places  of  refuge  from  the  Arabs.  Each  house  seems 
to  have  had  a  well  communicating  with  the  underground 
chambers.  At  times  of  alarm  the  people  and  their  chief 
valuables  could  promptly  be  hidden  in  the  caves." l 

Upon  the  plateau  of  Moab,  near  Mount  Pisgah,  the 
scene  of  Moses'  death,  has  been  found  a  carefully  exca- 
vated cave  about  twenty  feet  long  and  fifteen  wide,  hewed 
out  of  the  limestone,  with  a  spring  below.  This  room  has 
two  windows  looking  down  the  valley  toward  the  city  of 
Zoar,  the  place  where  Lot  escaped  from  the  destruction 
of  Sodom.  But  you  remember  that  Lot,  having  seen  his 
wife  caught  on  the  way  by  the  storm  of  brimstone  which 
turned  her  into  a  pillar  of  salt,  was  still  afraid  even  after 
he  had  reached  his  retreat ;  consequently,  as  the  Bible 
tells  us, 

Lot  went  up  out  of  Zoar,  and  dwelt  in  the  mountain,  and  his  two 
daughters  with  him;  for  he  feared  to  dwell  in  Zoar:  and  he  dwelt 
in  a  cave,  he  and  his  two  daughters.2 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  just  where  Sodom 
was,  but  this  locality,  so  subject  to  volcanic  storms  of  bitu- 
minous smoke  and  with  the  cave  so  near  to  the  traditional 
site  of  Zoar,  seems  to  fit  in  well  with  the  Bible  story.  In 
a  mountain  cave  there  would  be  safety  even  though  it 
hailed  fire  and  brimstone  all  around.  The  door  of  this 
cave  has  a  trough  cut  in  the  rock  to  lead  off  the  water  in 
times  of  heavy  rain.  This  door  is  up  so  high  that  it  can 
be  reached  only  by  climbing  up  the  sheer  rock  with  the 

1  Huntington,  Transformation  of  Palestine,  pp.  239  f. 

2  Gen.  xix,  30. 

[106] 


THE  CAVES 

help  of  steps  cut  into  its  face  six  or  eight  inches,  or  by 
scrambling  down  from  above  by  means  of  other  steps 
hewed  out  for  the  purpose. 

Down  in  Edom  has  been  found  a  very  wonderful  tem- 
ple cut  out  of  the  living  rock.  The  name  of  the  capital 
city  itself  is  Petra,  which  means  "  rock."  These  Edomites 
were  cousins  of  the  Hebrews,  being  the  descendants  of 
Esau.  There  was  never  any  love  lost  between  the  brothers 
Jacob  and  Esau.  You  remember  when  they  parted  after 
their  final  visit  together  at  the  time  Jacob  was  returning 
home  from  the  east  with  his  family  and  flocks,  he  sent  up 
the  prayer  to  Jehovah,  "  May  the  Lord  watch  between  me 
and  thee  while  we  are  absent  one  from  another,"  so  dis- 
trustful was  he  of  what  Esau  might  do.  And  throughout 
the  history  of  the  Edomites  they  were  distrusted  and  hated 
by  the  Israelites.  They  made  frequent  robber  raids  upon 
the  flocks  and  cattle  of  their  neighbors,  even  standing 
over  the  poor  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  when  it  was  burned 
by  the  Babylonians,  looting  their  houses  and  carrying  off 
the  plunder.  Edom  was  a  good  home  for  this  robber  race, 
for  the  caves  made  a  splendid  hiding  place,  and  many  a 
caravan  passing  up  the  eastern  road  from  Egypt  and  the 
Red  Sea  lost  its  precious  merchandise  in  the  night  by  the 
way.  The  prophet  Obadiah  evidently  was  among  the  cap- 
tives of  Jerusalem  when  they  were  chained  and  dragged 
off  to  exile.  He  saw  these  heartless  Edomites  jeering  at 
them  across  the  street  and  stealing  all  they  could  lay  their 
hands  upon.  Not  able  to  contain  himself  for  indignation, 
he  flung  out  against  the  whole  tribe  the  bitter  invective 
which  is  the  one  short  chapter  known  as  the  Book  of 
Obadiah. 

[107] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

The  pride  of  thy  heart  hath  deceived  thee,  O  thou  that  dwellest 
in  the  clefts  of  the  rock,  whose  habitation  is  high ;  that  saith  in  his 
heart,  Who  shall  bring  me  down  to  the  ground  ?  Though  thou  mount 
on  high  as  the  eagle,  and  though  thy  nest  be  set  among  the  stars,  I 
will  bring  thee  down  from  thence,  saith  Jehovah. 

For  the  violence  done  to  thy  brother  Jacob,  shame  shall  cover 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  cut  off  for  ever.  In  the  day  that  thou  stood- 
est  on  the  other  side,  in  the  day  that  strangers  carried  away  his 
substance,  and  foreigners  entered  into  his  gates,  and  cast  lots  upon 
Jerusalem,  even  thou  wast  as  one  of  them.  But  look  not  thou  on  the 
day  of  thy  brother  in  the  day  of  his  disaster,  and  rejoice  not  over 
the  children  of  Judah  in  the  day  of  their  destruction ;  neither  speak 
proudly  in  the  day  of  distress.  Enter  not  into  the  gate  of  my  people 
in  the  day  of  their  calamity ;  yea,  look  not  thou  on  their  affliction  in 
the  day  of  their  calamity,  neither  lay  ye  hands  on  their  substance  in 
the  day  of  their  calamity.  And  stand  thou  not  in  the  crossway,  to 
cut  off  those  of  his  that  escape ;  and  deliver  not  up  those  of  his  that 
remain  in  the  day  of  distress. 

For  the  day  of  Jehovah  is  near  upon  all  the  nations :  as  thou  hast 
done,  it  shall  be  done  unto  thee ;  thy  dealing  shall  return  upon  thine 
own  head.1 

Just  west  of  the  Dead  Sea,  near  the  terrible  wilderness, 
is  Engedi,  the  scene  of  David's  magnanimity  towards 
Saul.  These  David-Saul  stories  have  received  the  highest 
praise  as  great  literature.  They  are  called  immortal  among 
the  stories  of  the  world. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Saul  was  returned  from  following  the 
Philistines,  that  it  was  told  him,  saying,  Behold,  David  is  in  the  wil- 
derness of  Engedi.  Then  Saul  took  three  thousand  chosen  men  out 
of  all  Israel,  and  went  to  seek  David  and  his  men  upon  the  rocks  of 
the  wild  goats.  And  he  came  to  the  sheepcotes  by  the  way,  where 
was  a  cave ;  and  Saul  went  in  to  cover  his  feet.  Now  David  and  his 

1  Obad.  3,  4,  10-15. 
[108] 


THE  CAVES 

men  were  sitting  in  the  innermost  parts  of  the  cave.  And  the  men 
of  David  said  unto  him,  Behold,  the  day  of  which  Jehovah  said  unto 
thee,  Behold,  I  will  deliver  thine  enemy  into  thy  hand,  and  thou 
shalt  do  to  him  as  it  shall  seem  good  unto  thee.  Then  David  arose, 
and  cut  off  the  skirt  of  Saul's  robe  privily.  And  it  came  to  pass 
afterward,  that  David's  heart  smote  him,  because  he  had  cut  off 
Saul's  skirt.  And  he  said  unto  his  men,  Jehovah  forbid  that  I 
should  do  this  thing  unto  my  lord,  Jehovah's  anointed,  to  put  forth 
my  hand  against  him,  seeing  he  is  Jehovah's  anointed.  So  David 
checked  his  men  with  these  words,  and  suffered  them  not  to  rise 
against  Saul.  And  Saul  rose  up  out  of  the  cave,  and  went  on 
his  way. 

David  also  arose  afterward,  and  went  out  of  the  cave,  and  cried 
after  Saul,  saying,  My  lord  the  king.  And  when  Saul  looked  behind 
him,  David  bowed  with  his  face  to  the  earth,  and  did  obeisance. 
And  David  said  to  Saul,  Wherefore  hearkenest  thou  to  men's  words, 
saying,  Behold,  David  seeketh  thy  hurt  ?  Behold,  this  day  thine  eyes 
have  seen  how  that  Jehovah  had  delivered  thee  to-day  into  my  hand 
in  the  cave:  and  some  bade  me  kill  thee;  but  mine  eye  spared  thee ; 
and  I  said,  I  will  not  put  forth  my  hand  against  my  lord ;  for  he  is 
Jehovah's  anointed.  Moreover,  my  father,  see,  yea,  see  the  skirt  of 
thy  robe  in  my  hand ;  for  in  that  I  cut  off  the  skirt  of  thy  robe,  and 
killed  thee  not,  know  thou  and  see  that  there  is  neither  evil  nor 
transgression  in  my  hand,  and  I  have  not  sinned  against  thee, 
though  thou  huntest  after  my  life  to  take  it.  Jehovah  judge  between 
me  and  thee,  and  Jehovah  avenge  me  of  thee;  but  my  hand  shall 
not  be  upon  thee.  As  saith  the  proverb  of  the  ancients,  Out  of  the 
wicked  cometh  forth  wickedness ;  but  my  hand  shall  not  be  upon 
thee.  After  whom  is  the  king  of  Israel  come  out?  after  whom  dost 
thou  pursue?  after  a  dead  dog,  after  a  flea.  Jehovah  therefore  be 
judge,  and  give  sentence  between  me  and  thee,  and  see,  and  plead 
my  cause,  and  deliver  me  out  of  thy  hand. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  David  had  made  an  end  of  speaking 
these  words  unto  Saul,  that  Saul  said,  Is  this  thy  voice,  my  son 
David?  And  Saul  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  wept.  And  he  said  to 
David,  Thou  art  more  righteous  than  I ;  for  thou  hast  rendered 

[109] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

unto  me  good,  whereas  I  have  rendered  unto  thee  evil.  And  thou 
hast  declared  this  day  how  that  thou  hast  dealt  well  with  me,  foras- 
much as  when  Jehovah  had  delivered  me  up  into  thy  hand,  thou 
killedst  me  not.  For  if  a  man  find  his  enemy,  will  he  let  him  go 
well  away?  wherefore  Jehovah  reward  thee  good  for  that  which 
thou  hast  done  unto  me  this  day.  And  now,  behold,  I  know  that 
thou  shalt  surely  be  king,  and  that  the  kingdom  of  Israel  shall  be 
established  in  thy  hand.  Swear  now  therefore  unto  me  by  Jehovah, 
that  thou  wilt  not  cut  off  my  seed  after  me,  and  that  thou  wilt  not 
destroy  my  name  out  of  my  father's  house.  And  David  sware  unto 
Saul.  And  Saul  went  home ;  but  David  and  his  men  gat  them  up 
unto  the  stronghold.1 

If  one  is  walking  along  a  path  in  a  valley  northeast  of 
Jerusalem  a  few  hours  distant  from  the  city,  at  a  certain 
spot  he  may  look  up  thirty  feet  above  him  and  spy  a  hole 
in  a  narrow  overhanging  ledge  of  rock.  If  he  is  an  ath- 
lete and  can  climb  up  through  this  hole,  he  will  find  behind 
the  natural  platform  a  suite  of  four  rooms,  connecting  with 
each  other,  cut  into  the  side  hill.  All  up  and  down  this 
valley  there  are  many  natural  caves.  Some  of  them  have 
been  excavated  further  by  the  hand  of  man,  perhaps  by 
some  hermit  for  his  solitary  dwelling.  In  the  valley  of 
Michmash,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  where 
Saul  and  Jonathan  fought  the  Philistines,  there  are  found 
to-day  a  good  many  caves  which  seem  to  tally  exactly  with 
the  Bible  account.  One  can  get  at  them  only  by  a  rope 
let  down  from  the  precipice  above.  This  is  the  way  Herod 
let  down  his  soldiers  in  baskets  on  the  banks 'of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  when  the  people  who  were  revolting  against 
the  government  sought  refuge  in  the  caves  there.  The 
Old  Testament  tells  us  a  famous  story  of  the  valley  of 

1  i  Sam.  xxiv. 

[no] 


THE  CAVES 

Michmash,  with  its  holes  for  hiding,  which  the  Hebrews 
took  advantage  of  in  the  days  of  the  Philistine  raids. 

The  Philistines  assembled  themselves  together  to  fight  with  Israel, 
thirty  thousand  chariots,  and  six  thousand  horsemen,  and  people  as 
the  sand  which  is  on  the  sea-shore  in  multitude :  and  they  came  up, 
and  encamped  in  Michmash,  eastward  of  Beth-aven.  When  the  men  of 
Israel  saw  that  they  were  in  a  strait  (for  the  people  were  distressed), 
then  the  people  did  hide  themselves  in  caves,  and  in  thickets,  and  in 
rocks,  and  in  coverts,  and  in  pits.  Now  some  of  the  Hebrews  had 
gone  over  the  Jordan  to  the  land  of  Gad  and  Gilead ;  but  as  for 
Saul,  he  was  yet  in  Gilgal,  and  all  the  people  followed  him  trembling. 

Now  there  was  no  smith  found  throughout  all  the  land  of  Israel ; 
for  the  Philistines  said,  Lest  the  Hebrews  make  them  swords  or 
spears :  but  all  the  Israelites  went  down  to  the  Philistines,  to  sharpen 
every  man  his  share,  and  his  coulter,  and  his  axe,  and  his  mattock, 
when  the  edges  of  the  mattocks,  and  of  the  coulters,  and  of  the  forks, 
and  of  the  axes  were  blunt,  and  to  set  the  goads.  So  it  came  to  pass 
in  the  day  of  battle,  that  there  was  neither  sword  nor  spear  found  in 
the  hand  of  any  of  the  people  that  were  with  Saul  and  Jonathan : 
but  with  Saul  and  with  Jonathan  his  son  was  there  found.  And  the 
garrison  of  the  Philistines  went  out  unto  the  pass  of  Michmash. 

Now  it  fell  upon  a  day,  that  Jonathan  the  son  of  Saul  said  unto 
the  young  man  that  bare  his  armor,  Come,  and  let  us  go  over  to  the 
Philistines'  garrison,  that  is  on  yonder  side.  But  he  told  not  his 
father.  And  Saul  abode  in  the  uttermost  part  of  Gibeah  under  the 
pomegranate-tree  which  is  in  Migron :  and  the  people  that  were  with 
him  were  about  six  hundred  men ;  and  Ahijah,  the  son  of  Ahitub, 
Ichabod's  brother,  the  son  of  Phinehas,  the  son  of  Eli,  the  priest  of 
Jehovah  in  Shiloh,  wearing  an  ephod.  And  the  people  knew  not  that 
Jonathan  was  gone.  And  between  the  passes,'  by  which  Jonathan 
sought  to  go  over  unto  the  Philistines'  garrison,  there  was  a  rocky 
crag  on  the  one  side,  and  a  rocky  crag  on  the  other  side :  and  the 
name  of  the  one  was  Bozez,  and  the  name  of  the  other  Seneh.  The 
one  crag  rose  up  on  the  north  in  front  of  Michmash,  and  the  other 
on  the  south  in  front  of  Geba. 

[in] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  Jonathan  said  to  the  young  man  that  bare  his  armor,  Come, 
and  let  us  go  over  unto  the  garrison  of  these  uncircumcised :  it 
may  be  that  Jehovah  will  work  for  us;  for  there  is  no  restraint  to 
Jehovah  to  save  by  many  or  by  few.  And  his  armorbearer  said  unto 
him,  Do  all  that  is  in  thy  heart :  turn  thee,  behold,  I  am  with  thee 
according  to  thy  heart.  Then  said  Jonathan,  Behold,  we  will  pass 
over  unto  the  men,  and  we  will  disclose  ourselves  unto  them.  If  they 
say  thus  unto  us,  Tarry  until  we  come  to  you;  then  we  will  stand 
still  in  our  place,  and  will  not  go  up  unto  them.  But  if  they  say  thus, 
Come  up  unto  us ;  then  we  will  go  up ;  for  Jehovah  hath  delivered 
them  into  our  hand :  and  this  shall  be  the  sign  unto  us.  And  both 
of  them  disclosed  themselves  unto  the  garrison  of  the  Philistines: 
and  the  Philistines  said,  Behold,  the  Hebrews  come  forth  out  of  the 
holes  where  they  had  hid  themselves.  And  the  men  of  the  garrison 
answered  Jonathan  and  his  armorbearer,  and  said,  Come  up  to  us, 
and  we  will  show  you  a  thing.  And  Jonathan  said  unto  his  armor- 
bearer,  Come  up  after  me ;  for  Jehovah  hath  delivered  them  into  the 
hand  of  Israel.  And  Jonathan  climbed  up  upon  his  hands  and  upon 
his  feet,  and  his  armorbearer  after  him :  and  they  fell  before  Jona- 
than ;  and  his  armorbearer  slew  them  after  him.  And  that  first 
slaughter,  which  Jonathan  and  his  armorbearer  made,  was  about 
twenty  men,  within  as  it  were  half  a  furrow's  length  in  an  acre  of 
land.  And  there  was  a  trembling  in  the  camp,  in  the  field,  and  among 
all  the  people ;  the  garrison,  and  the  spoilers,  they  also  trembled ; 
and  the  earth  quaked:  so  there  was  an  exceeding  great  trembling. 

And  the  watchmen  of  Saul  in  Gibeah  of  Benjamin  looked ;  and, 
behold,  the  multitude  melted  away,  and  they  went  hither  and  thither. 
Then  said  Saul  unto  the  people  that  were  with  him,  Number  now, 
and  see  who  is  gone  from  us.  And  when  they  had  numbered,  behold, 
Jonathan  and  his  armorbearer  were  not  there.  And  Saul  said  unto 
Ahijah,  Bring  hither  the  ark  of  God.  For  the  ark  of  God  was  there 
at  that  time  with  the  children  of  Israel.  And  it  came  to  pass,  while 
Saul  talked  unto  the  priest,  that  the  tumult  that  was  in  the  camp  of 
the  Philistines  went  on  and  increased :  and  Saul  said  unto  the  priest, 
Withdraw  thy  hand.  And  Saul  and  all  the  people  that  were  with 
him  were  gathered  together,  and  came  to  the  battle :  and  behold, 

[112] 


/THE  CAVES 

every  man's  sword  was  against  his  fellow,  and  there  was  a  very 
great  discomfiture.  Now  the  Hebrews  that  were  with  the  Philistines 
as  beforetime,  and  that  went  up  with  them  into  the  camp,  from  the 
country  round  about,  even  they  also  turned  to  be  with  the  Israelites 
that  were  with  Saul  and  Jonathan.  Likewise  all  the  men  of  Israel 
that  had  hid  themselves  in  the  hill-country  of  Ephraim,  when  they 
heard  that  the  Philistines  fled,  even  they  also  followed  hard  after 
them  in  the  battle.  So  Jehovah  saved  Israel  that  day  :  and  the  battle 
passed  over  by  Beth-aven.1 

Far  to  the  north  of  Michmash,  near  Mount  Tabor  and 
the  Sea  of  Galilee,  is  a  cave  noted  as  the  resort  of  the 
Witch  of  Endor,  whom  Saul  consulted  one  day  in  his 
desperation  after  the  death  of  his  good  counselor  Samuel. 
These  dark  caverns  of  the  earth  would  seem  the  very  place 
for  the  haunt  of  a  witch.  There  she  might  brew  her  potions 
and  bring  back  the  voice  of  the  dead  to  tell  the  fortune  of 
a  despairing  king.2 

Now  Samuel  was  dead,  and  all  Israel  had  lamented  him,  and 
buried  him  in  Ramah,  even  in  his  own  city.  And  Saul  had  put  away 
those  that  had  familiar  spirits,  and  the  wizards,  out  of  the  land.  And 
the  Philistines  gathered  themselves  together,  and  came  and  encamped 
in  Shunem;  and  Saul  gathered  all  Israel  together,  and  they  en- 
camped in  Gilboa.  And  when  Saul  saw  the  host  of  the  Philistines, 
he  was  afraid,  and  his  heart  trembled  greatly.  And  when  Saul  in- 
quired of  Jehovah,  Jehovah  answered  him  not,  neither  by  dreams, 
nor  by  Urim,  nor  by  prophets.  Then  said  Saul  unto  his  servants, 
Seek  me  a  woman  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  that  I  may  go  to  her, 
and  inquire  of  her.  And  his  servants  said  to  him,  Behold,  there  is  a 
woman  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit  at  Endor. 

And  Saul  disguised  himself,  and  put  on  other  raiment,  and  went, 
he  and  two  men  with  him,  and  they  came  to  the  woman  by  night : 

1 1   Sam.  xiii,  5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23,  American  Revised  Version,  with 
marginal  readings. 
2  i  Sam.  xxviii,  3-25. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

and  he  said,  Divine  unto  me,  I  pray  thee,  by  the  familiar  spirit,  and 
bring  me  up  whomsoever  I  shall  name  unto  thee.  And  the  woman 
said  unto  him,  Behold,  thou  knowest  what  Saul  hath  done,  how  he 
hath  cut  off  those  that  have  familiar  spirits,  and  the  wizards,  out  of 
the  land :  wherefore  then  layest  thou  a  snare  for  my  life,  to  cause  me 
to  die?  And  Saul  sware  to  her  by  Jehovah,  saying,  As  Jehovah 
liveth,  there  shall  no  punishment  happen  to  thee  for  this  thing.  Then 
said  the  woman,  Whom  shall  I  bring  up  unto  thee?  And  he  said, 
Bring  me  up  Samuel.  And  when  the  woman  saw  Samuel,  she  cried 
with  a  loud  voice ;  and  the  woman  spake  to  Saul,  saying,  Why  hast 
thou  deceived  me  ?  for  thou  art  Saul.  And  the  king  said  unto  her, 
Be  not  afraid :  for  what  seest  thou  ?  And  the  woman  said  unto  Saul, 
I  see  a  god  coming  up  out  of  the  earth.  And  he  said  unto  her,  What 
form  is  he  of  ?  And  she  said,  An  old  man  cometh  up ;  and  he  is 
covered  with  a  robe.  And  Saul  perceived  that  it  was  Samuel,  and  he 
bowed  with  his  face  to  the  ground,  and  did  obeisance. 

And  Samuel  said  to  Saul,  Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me,  to  bring 
me  up  ?  And  Saul  answered,  I  am  sore  distressed ;  for  the  Philistines 
make  war  against  me,  and  God  is  departed  from  me,  and  answereth 
me  no  more,  neither  by  prophets,  nor  by  dreams :  therefore  I  have 
called  thee,  that  thou  mayest  make  known  unto  me  what  I  shall  do. 
And  Samuel  said,  Wherefore  then  dost  thou  ask  of  me,  seeing  Jehovah 
is  departed  from  thee,  and  is  become  thine  adversary?  And  Jehovah 
hath  done  unto  thee,  as  he  spake  by  me :  and  Jehovah  hath  rent  the 
kingdom  out  of  thy  hand,  and  given  it  to  thy  neighbor,  even  to  David. 
Because  thou  obeyedst  not  the  voice  of  Jehovah,  and  didst  not  exe- 
cute his  fierce  wrath  upon  Amalek,  therefore  hath  Jehovah  done  this 
thing  unto  thee  this  day.  Moreover  Jehovah  will  deliver  Israel  also 
with  thee  into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines ;  and  to-morrow  shalt  thou 
and  thy  sons  be  with  me :  Jehovah  will  deliver  the  host  of  Israel  also 
into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines. 

Then  Saul  fell  straightway  his  full  length  upon  the  earth,  and  was 
sore  afraid,  because  of  the  words  of  Samuel :  and  there  was  no  strength 
in  him ;  for  he  had  eaten  no  bread  all  the  day,  nor  all  the  night.  And 
the  woman  came  unto  Saul,  and  saw  that  he  was  sore  troubled,  and  said 
unto  him,  Behold,  thy  handmaid  hath  hearkened  unto  thy  voice,  and 


THE  CAVES 

I  have  put  my  life  in  my  hand,  and  have  hearkened  unto  thy  words 
which  thou  spakest  unto  me.  Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  hearken 
thou  also  unto  the  voice  of  thy  handmaid,  and  let  me  set  a  morsel  of 
bread  before  thee ;  and  eat,  that  thou  mayest  have  strength,  when 
thou  goest  on  thy  way.  But  he  refused,  and  said,  I  will  not  eat.  But 
his  servants,  together  with  the  woman,  constrained  him;  and  he 
hearkened  unto  their  voice.  So  he  arose  from  the  earth,  and  sat  upon 
the  bed.  And  the  woman  had  a  fatted  calf  in  the  house;  and  she 
hasted,  and  killed  it ;  and  she  took  flour,  and  kneaded  it,  and  did 
bake  unleavened  bread  thereof :  and  she  brought  it  before  Saul,  and 
before  his  servants ;  and  they  did  eat.  Then  they  rose  up,  and  went 
away  that  night. 

Some  of  these  caves  in  Palestine  are  low  and  narrow, 
with  tortuous  passages,  in  many  cases  requiring  one  to  crawl 
on  hands  and  knees,  while  others  contain  high,  vaulted, 
cathedral-like  chambers.  In  some  places  stairs  have  been 
cut  down  into  the  hollows  below  the  ground,  and  these 
hollows  have  been  enlarged  and  cemented.  Sometimes 
they  are  used  as  cisterns  for  catching  water.  In  one  cave 
a  rock-cut  channel  connects  it  with  a  spring,  and  here  are 
found  conveniences  for  an  ancient  laundry.  The  walls  of 
this  cave  are  adorned  with  beautiful  maidenhair  ferns. 

Over  in  the  region  of  the  Shephelah,  or  hill  country,  be- 
tween Jerusalem  and  the  Philistine  Plain  there  are  many 
caves.  Professor  Huntington  thus  describes  one  which 
he  explored : "  Because  the  hills  are  composed  of  easily 
worked  chalk,  they  have  been  carved  into  a  thousand 
caves.  On  one  of  these,  or  rather  in  a  series  of  recesses 
opening  into  a  large  central  cavern,  we  made  our  camp. 
In  the  starlight  that  evening  we  walked  from  cave  to  cave 
through  dewy  grass  and  grain,  and  lighting  our  candles 
entered  the  rock-hewn  refuges  of  the  early  saints  and  the 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

tombs  of  still  earlier  Phoenicians.  In  one  place  a  dark 
hole  in  the  hillside  was  lined  with  maidenhair  fern  so 
thick  as  to  hide  the  walls  and  the  slippery  chalk  steps 
down  which  we  almost  slid.  At  a  depth  of  about  fifteen 
feet  below  the  surface  three  doors  opened  before  us  in  the 
gloom,  one  to  the  left,  one  to  the  right,  and  one  in  front. 
The  left-hand  door  opened  high  on  the  side  of  a  circular 
chamber  twenty  feet  or  more  in  diameter  and  of  almost 
equal  height.  A  flight  of  stone  steps  led  spirally  down- 
ward, but  we  did  not  descend  far,  for  at  the  bottom  the 
candlelight  was  reflected  in  dark  water.  The  right-hand 
door  likewise  opened  upon  a  flight  of  rock-hewn  steps. 
They  descended  into  a  circular  domed  room  of  great  height 
having  a  diameter  of  nearly  forty  feet.  High  on  the  right 
some  small  chambers  with  niches  designed  for  the  recep- 
tion of  bodies  opened  from  the  main  room,  while  on  the 
left  a  great  doorway  led  into  the  still  larger  room  to  which 
the  third  door  at  the  foot  of  the  outside  stairs  also  gave 
access.  In  the  middle  of  this  last  room  a  square  well  some 
three  feet  across  proves  that  the  caves  were  long  inhabited. 
The  edges  of  the  rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  well  have  been 
beautifully  fluted  where  the  rope  has  rubbed  against  the 
chalk  as  countless  leather  buckets  were  drawn  up  full  of 
cold  water.  The  fluting  is  much  like  that  on  some  of  the 
columns  in  Indian  temples  where  small  grooves  are  cut  in 
the  sides  of  larger  ones  in  pleasing  variety." 

The  cave  of  Adullam  (the  place  of  refuge  David  first 
sought  when  Saul  turned  against  him)  was  among  these 
chalk  hills.  Here  his  band  of  discontents  was  formed. 

David  therefore  departed  thence,  and  escaped  to  the  cave  of  Adul- 
lam :  and  when  his  brethren  and  all  his  father's  house  heard  it,  they 

[116] 


THE  CAVES 

went  down  thither  to  him.  And  every  one  that  was  in  distress,  and 
every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that  was  discontented, 
gathered  themselves  unto  him ;  and  he  became  captain  over  them : 
and  there  were  with  him  about  four  hundred  men.1 

Another  famous  scene  in  David's  life  connected  with 
this  cave2  is  celebrated  by  Charles  Lamb  in  his  poem 
"The  Cave  of  Adullam." 

David  and  his  three  captains  bold 
Kept  ambush  once  within  a  hold. 
It  was  in  Adullam's  cave, 
Nigh  which  no  water  they  could  have. 

These  same  caves  later  harbored  Judas  Maccabeus  and 
his  faithful  followers  in  their  desperate  struggle  against 
the  Greeks  in  166  B.C.  About  a  century  before  this  the 
Phoenicians  had  decorated  some  of  them.  They  were 
evidently  used  as  burial  places  for  the  dead.  They  generally 
consist  of  three  rooms  about  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  one 
in  front  and  one  on  either  side.  The  walls  of  these  rooms 
are  lined  with  niches  about  three  feet  by  a  foot  and  a  half, 
which  are  the  doors  of  the  graves.  They  set  back  into  the 
hillside  six  or  seven  feet.  In  the  main  room  of  one  of 
these  caves  may  still  be  seen  over  the  niches  a  much  dis- 
figured series  of  paintings  representing  men  and  animals 
in  hunting  scenes.  The  relationship  to  Egypt  is  shown 
by  the  pictures  of  African  animals,  such  as  the  giraffe, 
rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  and  crocodile.  This  particular 
cave  was  made  into  its  present  form  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  before  Christ.  It  was  the  burial  place  of 
the  Phoenician  chief  whose  tomb  is  a  large  niche  at  the 
end  of  the  main  room. 

1  i  Sam.  xxii,  i,  2.  2  2  Sam.  xxiii,  13-17. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

There  are  caves  in  the  rocks  of  Mount  Carmel  also. 
Amos,  the  great  prophet  of  Justice,  used  the  figure  of  the 
caves  of  Carmel  when  he  warned  the  people  of  his  day  that 
unless  they  rooted  out  the  social  wrongs  rampant  under  a 
false  cloak  of  religion,  the  Lord  would  root  them  out. 

There  shall  not  one  of  them  flee  away,  and  there  shall  not  one  of 
them  escape.  Though  they  dig  into  Sheol,  thence  shall  my  hand  take 
them ;  and  though  they  climb  up  to  heaven,  thence  will  I  bring  them 
down.  And  though  they  hide  themselves  in  the  top  of  Carmel,  I  will 
search  and  take  them  out  thence.1 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  caves,  see 

HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation. 
GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  the  David-Saul  stories,  see 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 
GARDINER,  J.  H.  The  Bible  as  English  Literature.   Charles  Scrib- 

ner's  Sons.   $1.50. 
BALDWIN.    How  to  Write. 

1  Amos  ix,  i  b~3  a. 


[118] 


©  Underwood  &  Underwood 

THE  WILDERNESS  SOUTH  OF  THE  DEAD  SEA 


SELECTION  XIV.    THE  DESERT 

Ps.  ciii,  15, 1 6  (cii,  15,  16,  Douay);  Ps.  Ixiii,  i  (Ixii,  2,  3,  Douay) ;  Ps.  xlii, 

i,  2  (xli,  2,  3,  Douay);  Ps.  cvii,  4ff.  (cvi,  4ff.,  Douay);  Ps.  cxliii,  6-8  (cxlii, 

6-8,  Douay) ;  Isa.  xxxii,  i,  2;  Isa.  Iv;  Isa.  xl 

Palestine  is  a  land  of  contrasts,  and  the  force  of  Hebrew 
literature  is  largely  in  its  contrasts.  In  the  Congressional 
Library  at  Washington  are  to  be  seen  two  pictures,  one  at 
either  end  of  the  same  corridor.  The  one  is  painted  in 
bright  red,  the  other  in  brilliant  blue.  Why  were  they  so 
placed  ?  To  bring  out  the  force  of  each  more  vividly  by 
the  striking  contrast.  Thus  we  find  it  in  Hebrew  literature, 
the  dark  against  the  light ;  doom  and  blessing ;  joy  and 
sorrow ;  despair  and  hope ;  fear  and  faith,  and  the  con- 
trast pictured  with  the  swiftest  strokes  of  the  pen.  Only 
here  it  was  evidently  not  premeditated  art,  but  the  naive, 
unconscious  expression  of  native  genius.  We  must  re- 
member, however,  that  the  seeds  of  genius  are  sown  in 
the  land,  are  nourished  by  the  soil,  are  watered  by  the 
skies  of  a  country.  The  spirit  of  racial  genius  is  felt  in 
the  very  atmosphere.  The  breath  of  its  life  is  drawn  into 
the  soul  as  the  men  of  a  race  breathe  the  air  of  their  native 
heath.  So  it  was  in  Hebrew  literature.  Amos,  the  stern 
prophet  of  Justice,  could  give  such  dark,  blasting  forebod- 
ings of  ruin  because  he  himself  lived  neighbor  to  the 
wilderness,  "  next  door  to  doom  ";  Hosea,  the  prophet  of 
forgiving  Love,  could  picture  the  joy  and  refreshed,  invig- 
orated life  of  the  forgiven  soul  because  he  himself  had 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

known  the  recreating  power  of  the  dews  of  Hermon  and 
the  smell  of  Lebanon ;  the  Psalmist  could  appreciate  the 
Peace  of  God  because  he  had  been  in  the  terror  of  the 
storm  ;  Joel  could  see  the  punishment  of  his  people  like  a 
scourge  of  locusts ;  Isaiah  imagined  that  Paradise  would 
be  somewhat  like  Mount  Carmel  in  all  its  beauty  ;  Ezekiel 
pictured  the  New  Jerusalem  as  a  city  with  a  perpetual 
fountain  of  living  water  flowing  down  in  a  great  stream  to 
the  sea,  where  fish  could  thrive  and  trees  could  flourish, 
because  he  was  so  familiar  with  the  scarcity  of  water  on 
the  Judean  hills  and  the  barrenness  of  the  shores  of  the 
Dead  Sea. 

Thus  the  wilderness  and  the  desert  afford  many  figures 
for  the  poet.  "  The  wilderness  shall  blossom  as  the  rose  " l 
because  the  utterly  forlorn  and  unattractive  landscape  bor- 
dering on  the  Salt  Sea  bursts  out  in  bloom  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  spring  rains  and  for  a  short  time  is  sprinkled 
with  beautiful  flowers ;  man's  days  are  compared  to  the 
life  of  the  grass  and  the  flowers  of  the  field  because  the 
hot  east  wind  blowing  from  the  desert  passes  over  it  and 
withers  it  up  in  a  day. 

As  for  man,  his  days  are  as  grass ; 
As  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth. 
For  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone ; 
And  the  place  thereof  shall  know  it  no  more.2 

The  intense  thirst  of  the  traveler  on  the  desert  road  is  like 
the  thirst  of  the  soul  for  God. 

0  God,  thou  art  my  God ;  earnestly  will  I  seek  thee : 
My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee, 
In  a  dry  and  weary  land,  where  no  water  is.3 

1  Isa.  xxxv,  i.  2  Ps.  ciii,  15,  1 6.  3  Ps.  Ixiii,  i. 

[120] 


THE  DESERT 

As  the  heart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks, 
So  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God. 
My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God : 
When  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God  ? x 

Straying  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  desert, 
The  way  to  an  inhabited  city  they  found  not. 
Hungry,  yea  thirsty, 
Their  soul  fainted  within  them. 

Then  they  cried  unto  Jehovah  in  their  strait, 
That  out  of  their  distresses  he  might  deliver  them ; 
Then  he  made  them  tread  in  a  straight  way, 
To  go  unto  an  inhabited  city.2 

And  the  picture  which  Isaiah  drew  of  the  Ideal  Man  to 
come,  who  was  to  embody  the  Spirit  of  Justice,  was  of  one 
who  should  give  rest  and  confidence  to  the  people  as  the 
shade  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land. 

Behold,  righteously  the  King  shall  reign, 

And  the  princes  justly  shall  they  rule ; 

And  a  great  man  shall  be  as  a  hiding  place  from  the  wind, 

Like  a  covert  from  the  rainstorm, 

Like  rivulets  in  a  parched  land, 

Like  the  shadow  of  a  huge  cliff  in  a  thirsty  land.8 

The  memory  of  the  weary,  thirsty  days  which  the  captives 
spent  toiling  over  the  road  to  Babylon,  and  later  back  again 
to  Jerusalem,  was  stamped  so  indelibly  upon  their  minds 
that  the  poets  of  the  exile  most  naturally  represented 
repentant  Israel  as  spreading  out  her  hands  to  God  for 
relief  from  intolerable  thirst  of  soul. 

1  Ps.  xlii,  1,2. 

2  Ps.  cvii,  4ff.,  Briggs's  translation. 

8  Isa.  xxxii,  i,  2,  see  Cheyne's  and  Kent's  translations. 

[121] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

I  spread  forth  my  hands  unto  thee : 

My  soul  thirsteth  after  thee,  as  a  weary  land. 

Make  haste  to  answer  me,  O  Jehovah ;  my  spirit  faileth : 

Hide  not  thy  face  from  me, 

Lest  I  become  like  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit. 

Cause  me  to  hear  thy  lovingkindness  in  the  morning ; 

For  in  thee  do  I  trust : 

Cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I  should  walk ; 

For  I  lift  up  my  soul  unto  thee.1 

But  nowhere  has  the  hope  of  salvation  from  distress 
been  more  vividly  and  beautifully  expressed  than  by  the 
great  Prophet  of  the  Exile  in  the  fifty-fifth  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  where  he  pictures  the  satisfying  of  thirsty  Israel, 
not  by  the  wine  and  milk  of  Babylon,  which  could  be  easily 
bought  with  money,  but  by  the  satisfying  of  his  thirsty, 
homesick  soul,  that  needed  to  be  revived.  The  first  stanza 
imitates  the  call  of  the  water-sellers  and  the  last  two  show 
the  miraculous  transformation  of  the  desert  into  a  land 
luxuriant  with  Israel's  favorite  trees,  the  fir  and  the  myrtle. 

Ho,  everyone  who  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters, 
And  he  that  hath  no  money,  come ! 
Buy  and  eat,  without  money, 
Wine  and  milk  without  price. 

Why  spend  money  for  what  is  not  bread 

And  your  earnings  for  that  which  cannot  satisfy? 

Hearken  !    Hearken  unto  me ! 

And  eat  ye  that  which  is  good, 

And  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness. 

Incline  your  ear  and  come  unto  me ; 

Hear,  and  your  soul  shall  revive ; 

And  I  will  make  with  you  an  everlasting  covenant, 

The  sure  promises  of  kindness  toward  David. 

1  Ps.  cxliii,  6-8. 
[122] 


THE  DESERT 

Just  as  I  made  him  as  a  witness  to  the  peoples, 

A  prince  and  a  commander  to  the  nations, 

So  thou  wilt  call  a  nation  which  thou  knowest  not, 

And  they  who  know  thee  not  shall  run  to  thee, 

Because  of  Jehovah  thy  God, 

And  Israel's  Holy  One,  for  he  hath  honored  thee. 

Seek  ye  Jehovah  while  he  may  be  found ; 
Call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near ; 
He  will  have  compassion, 
And  will  abundantly  pardon. 

For  my  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 

And  your  ways  are  not  my  ways,  is  Jehovah's  oracle, 

For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth, 

So  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways, 

And  my  thoughts  than  your  thoughts. 

For  as  the  rain  cometh  down  from  heaven, 

And  returneth  not  thither, 

Except  it  hath  watered  the  earth 

And  made  it  bring  forth  and  sprout, 

And  given  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread  to  the  eater, 

So  shall  my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  from  my  mouth ; 

It  shall  not  return  unto  me  empty, 

Except  it  hath  accomplished  what  I  please, 

And  it  hath  prospered  in  the  thing  for  which  I  sent  it. 

For  with  joy  shall  ye  go  out, 

And  in  peace  shall  ye  be  led  forth ; 

The  mountains  and  the  hills  shall  burst  out  before  you  into 

singing, 
And  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands. 

Instead  of  the  thorn-bush  shall  come  up  the  fir  tree, 
Instead  of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the  myrtle  tree ; 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  it  shall  be  a  memorial  to  Jehovah, 

An  everlasting  sign  which  shall  not  be  cut  off.1 

The  long  journey  of  seven  hundred  miles  to  Babylon 
on  foot  and  in  fetters  has  been  likened  to  the  transportation 
of  Russian  exiles  to  Siberia.  But  the  prophet's  picture  of 
the  road  back  home  to  Jerusalem  after  the  years  of  captiv- 
ity is  of  the  desert  way  transformed  and  prepared  by  the 
tender  care  of  the  Great  Shepherd  who  is  bringing  home 
his  lost  sheep.  The  usual  way  to  Babylon  was  around  the 
desert,  not  through  it,  but  the  prophet  is  impatient  of 
roundabout  roads  and  so  sketches  in  a  sublime  song  of 
faith  and  cheer  the  shortest  way,  made  ready  by  a  wonder- 
ful transformation.  This  whole  fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah 
is  a  marvelous  lyric  poem  with  the  qualities  and  power  of 
the  drama  ;  "  like  the  prelude  of  an  opera,  it  almost  sings 
itself,  voice  answering  voice." 

Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith  your  God. 

Speak  tenderly  to  Jerusalem,  and  declare  to  her 

That  her  hard  service  is  accomplished,  her  guilt  is  paid  off, 

That  she  hath  received  from  Jehovah's  hand  double  for  all  her  sins. 

Hark !  one  that  calleth ! 

In  the  wilderness  clear  ye  Jehovah's  way. 

Make  level  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God ! 

Let  every  mountain  and  hill  be  made  low, 

And  every  valley  be  lifted  up, 

And  the  crooked  be  made  straight, 

And  the  rough  ridges  a  plain, 

And  the  glory  of  Jehovah  will  be  revealed. 

And  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together, 

For  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  hath  spoken  it. 

1  See  Cheyne's,  Kent's,  and  McFadyen's  translations  and  arrange- 
ments. 

[124] 


THE  DESERT 

Hark!  one  that  calleth! 

And  one  said,  "  What  shall  I  call?  " 

All  flesh  is  grass, 

And  all  the  grace  thereof  like  flowers  of  the  field. 

Dry  is  the  grass,  faded  are  the  flowers, 

If  the  breath  of  Jehovah  hath  blown  thereon. 

Dry  is  the  grass,  faded  are  the  flowers, 

But  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever. 

To  a  high  mountain  get  thee  up, 

Zion's  herald  of  good  news ; 

Lift  up  mightily  thy  voice, 

Jerusalem's  herald  of  good  news, 

Lift  up  fearlessly. 

Say  to  the  cities  of  Judah,  "  Behold  your  God !  " 

Behold,  Jehovah  cometh  in  might, 

And  his  Arm  is  maintaining  his  rule ; 

Behold,  his  reward  is  with  him, 

And  his  recompense  is  before  him. 

He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd, 

He  shall  gather  the  lambs  in  his  arm, 

And  carry  them  in  his  bosom, 

And  shall  gently  lea"d  those  that  have  their  young. 

Who  hath  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand, 

And  ruled  off  the  heavens  with  a  span, 

Or  enclosed  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure, 

And  weighed  the  mountains  in  scales, 

And  the  hills  in  a  balance  ? 

Who  hath  directed  the  spirit  of  Jehovah, 

And  as  his  counselor  advised  him  ? 

With  whom  hath  he  consulted  for  enlightenment, 

To  be  instructed  in  the  right, 

To  be  shown  the  way  of  understanding  ? 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Lo  the  nations !  as  a  drop  from  a  bucket, 

And  as  dust  on  a  balance  are  they  reckoned ; 

Lo  the  isles  !  as  a  straw  he  uplifteth, 

And  Lebanon  is  not  enough  for  fuel, 

And  its  wild  beasts  for  a  burnt  offering. 

All  the  nations  are  as  nothing  before  him, 

They  are  reckoned  by  him  as  chaos  and  nothingness. 

To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  God, 
And  what  likeness  place  beside  him  ? 
An  image !  a  craftsman  cast  it, 
And  a  smelter  overlays  it  with  gold, 
And  forge th  for  it  chains  of  silver. 
He  who  is  too  poor  to  do  this 
Chooses  a  tree  that  is  not  decayed, 
Seeks  for  himself  a  skilled  craftsman, 
To  set  up  an  image  that  shall  not  totter. 

Do  ye  not  know  ?    Do  ye  not  hear  ? 

Hath  it  not  been  told  you  from  the  beginning  ? 

Have  ye  not  understood  from  the  founding  of  the  earth  ? 

It  is  he  who  is  enthroned  above  the  vault  of  the  earth, 

And  its  inhabitants  are  as  locusts ; 

Who  stretcheth  out  the  heavens  as  a  thin  veil, 

And  spreadeth  them  out  like  a  habitable  tent. 

It  is  he  who  bringeth  men  of  weight  to  nothing, 

The  rulers  of  the  earth  he  maketh  as  waste. 

Scarcely  have  they  been  planted,  scarcely  have  they  been  sown, 

Scarcely  hath  the  stock  taken  root  in  the  earth, 

But  he  bloweth  upon  them  and  they  wither, 

And  a  whirlwind  carries  them  away  like  stubble. 

To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  me, 

That  I  should  equal  him  ?  saith  the  Holy  One. 

Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high  and  see ; 

Who  hath  created  these  P1 

!The  stars. 
[126] 


THE  DESERT 

He  who  bringeth  forth  their  host  by  number, 
And  calleth  each  by  his  name ; 
Through  abounding  might  and  firmness  of  strength, 
Not  one  is  missing. 

Why  sayest  thou,  O  Jacob,  and  speakest,  O  Israel ; 

My  way  is  hid  from  Jehovah 

And  my  right  is  unnoticed  by  my  God  ? 

Hast  thou  not  known?    Hast  thou  not  heard? 

An  everlasting  God  is  Jehovah. 

The  creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 

He  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary, 

His  wisdom  is  unfathomable. 

He  giveth  vigor  to  the  fainting, 

And  upon  the  powerless  he  lavisheth  strength. 

Young  men  may  faint  and  grow  weary, 

And  the  strongest  youths  may  stumble, 

But  they  who  trust  in  Jehovah  renew  their  vigor, 

They  shall  mount  on  wings  like  eagles, 

They  shall  run  and  not  be  weary, 

They  shall  walk  and  not  faint.1 


SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  the  desert,  see 

GOODRICH-FREER.   Things   seen   in    Palestine,   chap,  iii,  "The 

Desert  Life." 
BALDENSPERGER.  P.  J.   The  Immovable  East,  chap,  ii,  "  In  the 

Bedouin  Country." 

KENT.    Biblical  Geography  and  History. 
GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 
HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation,  chap,  v,  "  The 

Wilderness  of  Judea." 

1  See  Kent's,  Cheyne's,  and  McFadyen's  translations  and  arrange- 
ments. 

[I27] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

SMITH,  G.  A.    Isaiah,  Vol.  II,  chap,  iv,  "  Israel  in  Exile."   2  vols. 

George  H.  Doran  Company,  New  York.    50  cents  a  volume. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  the  passages  in  Isaiah  and  the  Psalms,  see 

International  Critical  Commentary,  "  Isaiah  "  and  "  Psalms." 
Students'  Old  Testament :  "  Sermons,  Epistles  and  Apocalypses  of 

Israel's  Prophets." 
MCFADYEN,  J.  E.  The  Bible  for  Home  and  School:  "The  Book 

of  the  Prophecies  of  Isaiah."   The  Macmillan  Company,  New 

York.    90  cents. 
SMITH.    Isaiah. 
FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 


[128] 


SELECTION  XV.    THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

Ps.  civ  (Ps.  ciii,  Douay) ;  Deut.  viii,  7-10;  Exod.  xxxiv,  22,  26;  Judges 
vi,  n,  12 ;  and  selections  from  the  Prophets  and  from  Job. 

We  started  this  series  of  studies  with  the  Coast  Road, 
and  we  have  now  reached  the  road  called  the  Desert  Way. 
Between  the  coast  on  the  west  and  the  desert  on  the  east 
are  hills  and  vales  sheltering  the  homes  of  the  people. 
Sometimes  these  homes  were  in  the  larger  cities,  like 
Jerusalem  and  Samaria,  but  for  the  most  part  they  were 
in  little  villages  like  Bethlehem,  the  birthplace  of  David, 
six  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  or  Anathoth,  the  home  of 
Jeremiah,  six  miles  to  the  north.  The  great  men  of  the 
Hebrew  race  sometimes  came  from  the  city,  —  Isaiah, 
her  greatest  statesman,  was  a  city  man,  so  was  Zephaniah, 
—  but  more  often  they  came  from  the  country.  Micah  was 
the  prophet  of  the  poor  country  peasant,  with  his  home  in 
Moresheth  looking  down  from  his  highland  farm  over  the 
coast  road.  Amos  came  from  Tekoa,  near  the  wilderness, 
and  was  proud  to  be  called  a  shepherd  and  a  dresser  of 
sycamore  trees.  Elijah's  home  was  in  the  remote  districts 
of  Gilead,  and  he  found  his  successor,  Elisha,  in  Northern 
Israel,  plowing  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen.  Deborah  was  a 
country  woman,  who  sat  under  her  palm  tree  in  Ephraim 
to  judge  Israel,  and  King  Lemuel's  model  wife  was  one 

Who  considereth  a  field  and  buyeth  it ; 

With  the  fruit  of  her  hands  she  planteth  a  vineyard.1 

1  Prov.  xxxi,  1 6. 
[I29] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES         .  * 

The  Hebrew  race  was  essentially  a  rural  race.  Their 
genius  was  of  the  rugged,  virile  sort  produced  on  the  farm, 
tilling  the  soil,  planting  the  vine,  following  the  sheep. 
Their  knowledge  of  God  came  largely  through  nature, 
and  they  read  nature  as  an  open  book  because  they  lived 
out  of  doors.  The  Hebrew  poets  were  as  unerring  in  their 
appreciation  of  nature  as  the  Greek  artists  in  their  instinct 
for  form  and  proportion.1  Who  but  one  most  familiar  with 
the  country  could  have  written  such  a  nature  poem  as  the 
one  hundred  fourth  Psalm  ?  There  the  Psalmist  calls  the 
light  God's  garment  and  the  heavens  his  curtain,  the  winds 
his  messengers  and  the  flames  his  ministers,  and  praises 
him  as  the  great  Creator  of  the  sea  and  the  mountain, 
the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  the  birds  of  the  air, 

Who  causeth  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle, 
And  herb  for  the  service  of  man ; 
That  he  may  bring  forth  food  out  of  the  earth, 
And  wine  that  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man. 

And  with  this  as  a  background  he  sings  of  man, 

Who  goeth  forth  unto  his  work 
And  to  his  labor  until  the  evening. 

The  characteristic  labor  of  this  rural  nation,  the  work 
that  caused  them  to  bless  the  Lord  with  such  spontaneous, 
heartfelt  fervor,  was  the  labor  of  the  agriculturist,  tending 
the  sheep,  dressing  the  vine,  raising  the  grain.  In  Hebrew 
literature  we  have  many  songs  which  sprang  out  of  the 
hearts  of  these  nature-lovers  as  they  worked.  Perhaps  it 
was  the  freedom  of  this  out-of-door  life  that  made  them 

1  Fowler,  History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel,  p.  268. 
[130] 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

poets.     At  any  rate,  it  was  their  rural  independence  that 
made  them  hard  to  conquer. 

Farming  has  been  one  of  the  chief  occupations  of  the 
people  of  Palestine  from  the  earliest  days  when  the  great 
King  of  Egypt,  Thutmose  III,  sent  his  men  up  every  year 
to  the  valley  of  Esdraelon  to  cut  the  grain  for  his  army. 
Two  or  three  hundred  years  after  Thutmose  III,  at  the 
time  when  the  Children  of  Israel  escaped  from  their  slavery 
in  Egypt,  they  turned  their  faces  to  the  Land  of  Promise 
because  they  expected  in  that  land  to  own  fields  of  wheat 
and  barley  and  hillsides  covered  with  vines  and  fig  trees 
and  to  have  enough  to  eat  from  their  own  little  plots  of 
ground.  To  a  people  who  had  been  working  in  a  brick 
factory,  serving  heartless  taskmasters  for  a  pittance  which 
was  scarcely  enough  to  support  life,  this  Promised  Land 
always  seemed  like  a  paradise. 

For  Jehovah  thy  God  bringeth  thee  into  a  good  land,  a  land  of 
brooks  of  water,  of  fountains  and  springs,  flowing  forth  in  valleys 
and  hills;  a  land  of  wheat  and  barley,  and  vines  and  fig-trees  and 
pomegranates ;  a  land  of  olive-trees  and  honey ;  a  land  wherein  thou 
shalt  eat  bread  without  scarceness,  thou  shalt  not  lack  anything  in  it ; 
a  land  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out  of  whose  hills  thou  mayest  dig 
copper.  And  thou  shalt  eat  and  be  full,  and  thou  shalt  bless  Jehovah 
thy  God  for  the  good  land  which  he  hath  given  thee.1 

In  gratitude  for  such  a  land  of  country  homes,  where  they 
should  be  neither  slaves  nor  renters,  but  where  each  man 
could  sit  under  his  vine  and  fig  tree,2  the  Israelites  estab- 
lished in  the  early  days  an  annual  feast  much  like  our 
Thanksgiving  Day  or  the  Harvest  Home  festival  of  Canada. 

1  Deut.  viii,  7-10.  2  Mic.  iv,  4. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of  weeks,  even  of  the  first-fruits 
of  wheat  harvest,  and  the  feast  of  ingathering  at  the  year's  end.  The 
first  of  the  first-fruits  of  thy  ground  thou  shalt  bring  unto  the  house 
of  Jehovah  thy  God.1 

Of  course  the  Israelites  had  their  troubles  in  getting 
hold  of  this  good  wheat  land.  We  have  seen  what  exas- 
perating days  the  Danites  spent  hovering  over  the  fields 
of  the  Philistines,  and  how  Samson  stole  his  revenge  by 
setting  fire  to  the  standing  grain.2  Gideon,  too,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  country,  was  obliged  to  hide  the  wheat 
he  had  threshed  for  fear  the  Midianites  across  the  border 
would  come  in  the  night  and  steal  it  from  him. 

Gideon  was  beating  out  wheat  in  the  winepress,  to  hide  it  from 
the  Midianites.  And  the  angel  of  Jehovah  appeared  unto  him,  and 
said  unto  him,  Jehovah  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valor.8 

In  later  days,  when  the  Israelites  had  become  stronger 
and  had  impressed  their  importance  upon  the  people  round 
about,  we  still  find  that  the  wheat  fields  figure  largely  in 
the  picture  of  their  life.  When  the  Philistines  became 
superstitiously  fearful  of  the  Jehovah  religion  and  sent 
back  home  the  sacred  ark  which  they  had  captured  as  a 
prize  of  war,  it  was  from  the  wheat  fields  of  Beth-Shemesh 
that  the  reapers  looked  up  and  saw  it  approaching  in  the 
distance.4  When  Solomon  was  bartering  with  King  Hiram 
of  Tyre  for  the  lumber  and  artificers  to  build  his  magnifi- 
cent Temple  at  Jerusalem,  it  was  with  twenty  thousand 
measures  of  wheat  that  he  paid  a  part  of  the  bill.5 

1  Exod.  xxxiv,  22,  26.   This  was  called  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  or 
Booths,  because  during  the  feast  the  people  camped  out  under  the 
shelter  of  booths  made  of  branches  of  trees. 

2  Judges  xv.  8  Judges  vi,  n,  12.  *  i  Sam.  vi,  13. 

5  i  Kings  v,  ii.  A  measure  is  supposed  to  equal  about  one  and  a 
half  pecks. 

[132] 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

About  two  hundred  years  after  Solomon's  reign  we  find 
the  fields  again  figuring  very  largely,  but  this  time  under 
quite  different  conditions.  Certain  men  had  become  rich 
by  getting  hold  of  their  neighbors'  land  and  had  created 
great  estates  for  themselves  by  putting  small  homesteads 
together.  Then  they  had  moved  into  the  city  to  live  a  life 
of  luxury  upon  the  rentals  they  exacted  from  the  peasant 
farmers.  These  rich  landlords  were  not  very  particular 
how  they  obtained  their  possessions,  whether  by  fair  means 
or  by  foul.  The  prophet  Micah  says  that  they  coveted 
fields  and  then  seized  them,  lying  awake  nights  to  devise 
means  of  accomplishing  their  designs.1  Isaiah  breaks  out 
with  an  invective  against  the  greedy  real-estate  sharks  who 
allowed  the  owners  of  small  farms  no  alternative  but  to 
meet  hard  terms  or  die. 

Woe  unto  them  that  join  house  to  house,  that  lay  field  to  field,  till 
there  be  no  room,  and  ye  be  made  to  dwell  alone  in  the  midst  of 
the  land!3 

This  was  much  like  the  condition  of  things  in  our  own 
country  not  many  years  ago,  when  in  certain  sections  of 
the  West  the  big  ranchmen  had  everything  so  much  their 
own  way  that  a  small  owner  had  no  chance  for  a  livelihood. 
For  miles  and  miles  there  were  no  dwellings  save  the  ranch 
house  of  the  one  great  cattle  king.  It  was  quite  easy  to 
remove  fences  in  such  a  lonely  stretch  of  land  and  there 
was  much  complaint  that  these  big  ranchmen  included 
free  government  land  within  their  own  boundaries.  Over 
in  Palestine  real  fences  are  unknown.  A  man's  land  is 
sometimes  enclosed  by  a  loose  stone  wall,  but  a  furrow 

1  Mic.  ii,  i,  2.  2  Isa.  v,  8. 

t'33] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

made  by  a  plow  with  stones  placed  at  intervals  is  the  an- 
cient custom  of  marking  the  limits  of  a  farm.  Some  of 
the  owners  of  real  estate  were  so  grasping  that,  when  the 
laws  in  Deuteronomy  were  made,  one  seems  to  have  been 
framed  especially  for  them  : 

Cursed  be  he  that  removeth  his  neighbor's  landmark.1 

At  the  time  of  the  prophets  we  find  avarice  so  rampant 
that  speculations  in  the  wheat  market  had  become  very 
fascinating  to  the  greedy  merchants.  They  could  scarcely 
wait  for  the  Sabbath  day  to  be  over  or  the  monthly  reli- 
gious feast  to  be  completed,  before  they  should  open  up 
trade  again  and  "  set  forth  the  wheat."  And  they  knew 
how  to  get  the  best  of  the  purchaser,  too,  by  using  a  small 
bushel  or  false  balances  and  by  charging  a  large  price. 
They  even  sold  refuse  wheat  to  the  poor  as  if  it  were  good 
wheat.  The  prophet  Amos  draws  this  picture  very  vividly ! 

Hear  this,  O  ye  that  would  swallow  up  the  needy,  and  cause  the 
poor  of  the  land  to  fail,  saying,  When  will  the  new  moon  be  gone, 
that  we  may  sell  grain  ?  and  the  sabbath,  that  we  may  set  forth  wheat, 
making  the  ephah  small,  and  the  shekel  great,  and  dealing  falsely 
with  balances  of  deceit ;  that  we  may  buy  the  poor  for  silver,  and  the 
needy  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  sell  the  refuse  of  the  wheat  ?  2 

When  Job,  the  Man  of  Affliction,  was  enduring  his  deep 
distress,  and  his  four  philosopher  friends  were  trying  to 
think  up  some  good  reason  for  all  his  trouble,  one  of  them 
declared  that  he  had  found  the  reason  in  the  fact  that 
Job  in  his  prosperous  days  had  not  cared  how  he  obtained 
his  riches  and  had  cheated  the  small  homesteader  and 
swallowed  up  his  substance ;  they  said  that  all  of  Job's 
afflictions  were  a  just  punishment  for  this. 

1  Deut.  xxvii,  17.  2  Amos  viii,  4-6. 

[134] 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

He  hath  swallowed  down  riches,  and  he  shall  vomit  them  up  again ; 

He  shall  not  look  upon  the  rivers, 

The  flowing  streams  of  honey  and  butter. 

That  which  he  labored  for  shall  he  restore,  and  shall  not  swallow  it 

down ; 

According  to  the  substance  that  he  hath  gotten,  he  shall  not  rejoice. 
For  he  hath  oppressed  and  forsaken  the  poor ; 
He  hath  violently  taken  away  a  house  which  he  builded  not. 
Because  he  knew  no  quietness  in  his  greed 
He  shall  not  save  aught  of  that  wherein  he  delighteth. 
There  was  nothing  left  that  he  devoured  not; 
Therefore  his  prosperity  shall  not  endure. 
In  the  fulness  of  his  sufficiency  he  shall  be  in  straits : 
The  hand  of  every  one  that  is  in  misery  shall  come  upon  him. 
When  he  is  about  to  fill  his  belly,  God  will  cast  the  fierceness  of  his 

wrath  upon  him, 

And  will  rain  it  upon  him  while  he  is  eating. 
The  increase  of  his  house  shall  depart : 
His  goods  shall  flow  away  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 
This  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked  man  from  God, 
And  the  heritage  appointed  unto  him  by  God.1 

But  Job  knew  these  were  false  charges.  After  listening 
to  all  that  his  friends  had  to  say  he  finally  arose  and  vindi- 
cated himself.  With  a  clear  conscience  and  with  righteous 
indignation  at  such  unkind  aspersions,  he  poured  out  his 
eloquent  "  Oath  of  Clearing." 

If  I  have  walked  with  falsehood, 

And  my  foot  hath  hasted  to  deceit : 

Then  let  me  sow,  and  let  another  eat ; 

Yea,  let  the  produce  of  my  field  be  rooted  out. 

If  I  have  withheld  the  poor  from  their  desire, 

Or  have  caused  the  eyes  of  the  widow  to  fail, 

Or  have  eaten  my  morsel  alone, 

1  Job  xx,  1 5  ff.,  American  Revised  Version,  with  marginal  readings. 
[135] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

And  the  fatherless  hath  not  eaten  thereof ; 

If  I  have  seen  any  perish  for  want  of  clothing, 

Or  that  the  needy  had  no  covering ; 

If  his  loins  have  not  blessed  me,| 

And  if  he  hath  not  been  warmed  with  the  fleece  of  my  sheep : 

Then  let  my  shoulder  fall  from  the  shoulder-blade, 

And  mine  arm  be  broken  from  the  bone. 

If  I  have  made  gold  my  hope, 

And  have  said  to  the  fine  gold,  Thou  art  my  confidence ; 

If  I  have  rejoiced  because  my  wealth  was  great, 

And  because  my  hand  had  gotten  much ; 

If  my  land  crieth  out  against  me, 

And  the  furrows  thereof  weep  together ; 

If  I  have  eaten  the  fruits  thereof  without  money, 

Or  have  caused  the  owners  thereof  to  lose  their  life : 

Let  thistles  grow  instead  of  wheat, 

And  cockle  instead  of  barley.1 

If  there  was  one  man  like  Job,  however,  there  were 
doubtless  many  like  those  depicted  by  Zophar,  Job's  pre- 
tended friend.  Cheating  in  lands  and  markets  was  such 
a  common  practice  that  no  one  believed  a  truly  honest  man 
existed.  Ezekiel  tells  us  that  even  the  women  were  guilty 
of  selling  their  souls  for  handfuls  of  barley,  or  what  was 
the  same  thing,  of  making  it  easy  for  their  husbands  to 
be  dishonest. 

Woe  to  the  women  that  sew  pillows  upon  all  elbows,  and  make 
kerchiefs  for  the  head  of  persons  of  every  stature  to  hunt  souls  !  And 
ye  have  profaned  me  among  my  people  for  handfuls  of  barley  and 
for  pieces  of  bread,  to  slay  the  souls  that  should  not  die.2 

Lack  of  prosperity,  it  is  true,  was  sometimes  due  to  the 
utter  shiftlessness  of  the  peasant  people.  Especially  was 
this  the  case  after  their  return  from  the  captivity  in  Babylon, 

1  Job  xxxi,  5  ft.  «  Ezek.  xiii,  18  f. 

[136] 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

when  they  were  trying  under  most  discouraging  conditions 
to  get  the  land  back  into  their  hands  and  make  it  amount 
to  something.  It  was  uphill  work  and  too  disheartening 
for  many  a  farmer.  The  prophet  Haggai  scolds  the  people 
roundly  for  sinking  back  into  shiftless  indifference. 

Consider  your  ways.  Ye  have  sown  much,  and  bring  in  little ;  ye 
eat,  but  ye  have  not  enough;  ye  drink,  but  ye  are  not  filled  with 
drink ;  ye  clothe  you,  but  there  is  none  warm ;  and  he  that  earneth 
wages  earneth  wages  to  put  it  into  a  bag  with  holes.1 

In  spite  of  all  this,  however,  the  common  people  still  kept 
on  tilling  the  soil.  Notwithstanding  the  injustice  of  man 
and  the  cruel  failures  of  crops,  they  instinctively  turned  to 
the  great  Creator  as  the  giver  of  rain  and  sunshine  and 
the  blessed  harvest. 

Be  glad  then,  ye  children  of  Zion,  and  rejoice  in  Jehovah  your 
God;  for  he  giveth  you  the  former  rain  in  just  measure,  and  he 
causeth  to  come  down  for  you  the  rain,  the  former  rain  and  the  latter 
rain,  in  the  first  month.  And  the  floors  shall  be  full  of  wheat,  and  the 
vats  shall  overflow  with  new  wine  and  oil.  And  I  will  restore  to  you 
the  years  that  the  locust  hath  eaten,  the  canker-worm,  and  the  cater- 
pillar, and  the  palmer-worm,  my  great  army  which  I  sent  among  you. 
And  ye  shall  eat  in  plenty  and  be  satisfied,  and  shall  praise  the  name 
of  Jehovah  your  God,  that  hath  dealt  wondrously  with  you.2 

The  background  for  many  of  the  soul-stirring  messages 
of  the  prophets  was  without  question  an  agricultural  com- 
munity earning  a  living  from  the  soil.  The  very  vices  of 
the  city  were  dependent  upon  the  wealth  wrung  from  the 
land.  If  the  crops  failed  for  whatever  cause — a  scourge  of 
grasshoppers,  or  lack  of  rain,  or  the  heartless  oppression  of 
the  landlord — it  brought  disaster  upon  the  whole  country. 

i  Hag.  i,  5,  6.  2  Joel  ii,  23  ff. 

[137] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Indeed,  one  of  the  finest  expressions  of  faith  in  God  which 
the  Old  Testament  contains  is  the  poem  found  in  the  Book 
of  Habakkuk,  where  the  prophet,  after  struggling  through 
deep  skepticism  because  of  the  injustice  and  undeserved 
hardships  which  he  sees  his  people  bearing,  gets  such  a 
vision  of  God's  eternal  care  for  his  children  that  he  sings 
triumphantly : 

For  though  the  fig-tree  shall  not  flourish, 
Neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines ; 
The  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail, 
And  the  fields  shall  yield  no  food ; 
The  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold, 
And  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls : 
Yet  I  will  rejoice  in  Jehovah, 
I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation.1 

It  seems  very  strange  to  us  living  in  America  in  the 
twentieth  century  that  a  country  so  evidently  dependent 
upon  agriculture  for  all  its  prosperity  should  have  pro- 
gressed in  the  science  of  farming  so  little  as  Palestine  has 
done.  There  is  scarcely  another  place  on  the  globe  where 
one  may  find  farming  customs  dating  back  practically  un- 
changed for  at  least  twenty-five  hundred  years.  The  fel- 
lahin,  or  peasants,  of  to-day  employ  the  methods  used  at 
the  time  of  the  prophets.  Wheat  and  barley  are  still  the 
common  grains.  In  Old  Testament  times  the  poor  lived 
almost  exclusively  upon  bread  made  of  barley  mixed  with 
a  little  wheat.  There  is  also  a  kind  of  millet,  but  no  oats 
or  hay.  Winter  wheat  is  sown,  as  with  us,  after  the  heavy 
rains  of  the  fall,  "  when  the  thirst  of  the  land  is  quenched." 
Barley  is  sown  a  little  later.  The  farmer  loads  a  donkey 

1  Some  think  iii  written  later  than  i  and  ii,  but  the  lesson  is  the  same. 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

with  the  seed-bags  and  plow  and  starts  with  his  men  for 
the  field.  When  they  have  arrived,  the  donkey  is  unloaded 
and  turned  loose  to  browse.  The  men  get  ready  for  their 
task  by  throwing  off  their  outer  garment  and  tucking  their 
skirts  into  their  belts.  Then  one  man  goes  ahead  sowing 
the  grain  and  another  follows  with  the  plow  fastened  to  a 
donkey,  horse,  or  camel  brought  to  the  field  especially  to 
drag  the  plow.  If  the  farmer  is  well-to-do,  a  yoke  of  oxen  is 
used.  The  plow  is  of  wood  shod  with  iron,  and  only  scratches 
up  the  surface  of  the  ground,  turning  the  seed  under.  If  the 
hillside  is  too  steep  for  the  plow  to  reach  all  its  nooks,  a  man 
follows  with  a  pickaxe  to  stir  up  the  soil  not  reached  by  the 
plow.  After  such  preparation  the  seed  is  supposed  to  find 
lodgement  and  grow,  without  the  use  of  fertilizer. 

After  the  spring  rains  and  mists,  harvest  time  begins. 
Everybody  now  camps  out  in  the  fields,  women  and  children 
as  well  as  men.  It  is  a  time  of  happy  work  and  singing. 
Some  one  has  to  sleep  in  the  fields,  for  the  harvest  is  cov- 
eted by  the  Arabs  just  as  Gideon's  grain  was  coveted  by 
the  Midianites.  The  reaper  uses  a  sickle,  ties  up  each 
bunch  of  grain  with  straw  and  makes  a  shock,  much  as  was 
done  in  the  days  of  our  grandfathers,  before  harvesting 
machines  were  invented.  If  the  reaper  is  a  man,  he  uses 
a  sheepskin  apron  and  a  large  glove,  but  if  a  woman,  as 
often  happens,  neither  is  provided.  As  in  Ruth's  day, 
poor  women  and  girls  are  permitted  to  follow  the  reapers 
and  glean  what  falls  to  the  ground. 

Finally  the  shocks  are  loaded  on  the  backs  of  donkeys, 
mules,  or  camels,  and  carried  to  the  threshing  floor.  This 
is  a  smooth  piece  of  ground,  beaten  hard,  and  sometimes 
having  a  rock  foundation.  Each  family  has  a  separate  pile 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

of  grain  on  this  floor.  Before  the  threshing  can  begin,  the 
tax  collector  appears  and  chooses  out  his  bundle  from  each 
pile.  This  has  to  be  threshed  first  and  the  grain  delivered  to 
him,  before  matters  can  proceed.  The  right  to  collect  these 
taxes,  or  tithes,  is  given  to  the  highest  bidder.  To  thresh 
the  piles  of  grain,  animals  shod  with  sheet-iron  shoes  are 
driven  around  and  around  upon  them,  their  hoofs  beating 
out  the  kernels.  Sometimes  a  sledge  with  heavy  iron  teeth 
is  driven  over  the  wheat.  When  this  process  has  been  car- 
ried on  long  enough,  the  resulting  mixture  of  chaff  and 
grain  must  be  winnowed.  This  is  done  by  tossing  it  into 
the  air  with  a  wooden  fork,  or  "  fan."  This  custom  is  the 
basis  of  the  poetical  comparison  in  the  first  Psalm  ;  wicked 
people  are  there  likened  to  "the  chaff  which  the  wind 
driveth  away."  As  the  heavy  grain  falls  on  the  floor,  the 
women  gather  it  up  and  sift  it  through  different  grades  of 
sieves,  after  which  the  men  put  it  into  sacks. 

Thus  the  farming  of  to-day  in  Palestine  is  much  as  it 
was  in  Isaiah's  time  twenty-six  hundred  years  ago.  No 
greater  contrast  to  the  science  of  farming  as  practiced  in 
America  could  anywhere  be  seen. 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  a  description  of  farming  in  Palestine,  see 

GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 

WHITNEY,  J.  D.  "Village  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,"  in  the  National 
Geographic  Magazine,  March,  1914.    (Beautifully  illustrated.) 
KALEEL,  MOUSA  J.    When  I  was  a  Boy  in  Palestine,  pp.  139- 
142.    Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Company.    60  cents. 

For  a  comparison  of  the  Hebrews  with  the  Greeks,  see 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel,  pp.  167, 
168,  268. 

[I40] 


SELECTION  XVI.    THE  POEM  OF  THE  FARMER 
Isa.  xxviii,  23-29. 

It  was  one  of  Israel's  great  crises  with  her  enemies 
which  is  represented  in  this  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  the 
Book  of  Isaiah.  In  order  to  bring  the  counselors  of  the 
king  back  to  their  senses,  a  poem  of  the  farm  is  intro- 
duced to  prove  that,  just  as  farmers  obey  the  laws  of  nature 
in  plowing  and  sowing  and  harvesting,  so  God  is  a  God 
of  law  and  order,  of  cause  and  effect,  everywhere,  and  that 
wrongdoing  and  foolish  advice  will  lead  to  ruin  in  the 
councils  of  a  nation  just  as  surely  as  on  the  farm.  In  this 
poem  the  first  stanza  describes  how  plowing  and  sowing 
and  harvesting  follow  each  other  in  orderly  succession ; 
the  second  describes  how  different  kinds  of  grain  are 
treated  differently  in  threshing. 

Listen,  and  hear  my  voice, 

Give  heed  and  hear  my  word ; 

Is  the  plowman  ever  plowing  ? 

Is  he  ever  breaking  up  and  harrowing  his  ground  ? 

Does  he  not,  when  he  has  leveled  its  surface, 

Scatter  fennel  and  sow  cummin1 

And  plant  there  wheat  and  barley, 

And  spelt 2  as  its  border  ? 

1  The  seed  of  the  cummin  is  used  as  a  spice  mixed  with  bread  and 
boiled  in  stews.    The  black  seeds  of  the  fennel  flower,  or  fitch,  are  used 
as  a  condiment.   They  are  hot  to  the  taste  and  are  sprinkled  thickly 
over  flat  cakes  before  they  are  baked,  much  as  we  use  caraway  seed 
(Tristram). 

2  Spelt  is  one  of  the  ordinary  cereals  of  the  East  and  closely  resem- 
bles wheat,  but  has  a  coarser  and  rougher  sheath  and  a  longer  beard. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

For  Jehovah  hath  taught  him  the  right  way; 

It  is  his  God  who  has  instructed  him. 

For  fennel  is  not  threshed  with  sledges, 

Nor  is  a  cart  wheel  rolled  over  cummin, 

But  fennel  is  threshed  with  a  staff, 

And  cummin  with  the  flail.1 

Is  grain  for  bread  crushed  to  pieces  ? 

Nay,  one  does  not  thresh  it  forever, 

But  when  he  has  driven  his  cart  wheel  over  it, 

He  spreads  it  out  so  that  it  is  not  crushed  fine. 

This  also  proceeds  from  Jehovah  of  hosts. 

Wonderful  counsel,  great  wisdom  hath  he.2 

Hebrew  literature  is  not  the  only  literature  in  which  we 
find  religion  and  labor  wedded  in  practice  and  in  preach- 
ing. In  the  story  "  Lorna  Doone  "  we  find  a  charming 
description  of  the  beginning  of  the  harvest.  John  Ridd, 
the  farmer,  is  telling  the  tale :  how  all  the  parish  had 
gathered  with  their  sickles  in  his  yard  (for  it  was  his 
turn  to  open  the  harvest  season) ;  how  the  procession  of 
harvesters  started  for  the  field  in  proper  order — the  parson 
in  the  lead,  wearing  his  gown  and  cassock,  with  the  parish 
Bible  in  his  hand  and  a  sickle  strapped  behind  him ;  how 
before  they  began  to  put  their  sickles  to  the  wheat  the 
parson  first  read  some  verses  from  the  Bible  and  then  laid 
the  Bible  down  and  "  despite  his  gown  and  cassock,  three 
good  swipes  he  cut " ;  and  then  how  the  owner  of  the 
field  followed,  saying,  "  Thank  the  Lord  for  all  His  mercies 

1  The  seeds  of  both  cummin  and  fennel  are  very  small  and  tender, 
and  would  be  crushed  beyond  use  if  threshed  like  hard  corn  with  a 
heavy  roller,  but  cummin  seed  can  easily  be  separated  from  its  thin  case 
by  being  beaten  with  a  slender  rod,  while  fennel  seed  is  enclosed  in  a 
harder  pod  and  requires  a  stouter  staff  to  dislodge  it  (Tristram). 

2  Kent's  translation. 

[I42] 


THE  POEM  OF  THE  FARMER 

and  these  the  first  fruits  of  His  hand";  and  finally 
how  the  clerk  of  the  parish  lined  off  a  psalm,  verse  by 
verse,  which  they  all  sang,  and  then  they  fell  to  work.  At 
evening,  when  they  had  wiped  their  sickles  and  hung 
them  up,  they  came  to  the  house  for  the  harvest  supper. 
The  parson  said  the  grace  and  helped  to  carve.  After 
they  had  satisfied  their  "brave  appetites"  they  lifted  on 
high  "  a  neck  of  corn,  dressed  with  ribbons  gaily,  and  set 
it  upon  the  mantelpiece"  and  sang  around  it  the  Exmoor 
Harvest  Song : 

The  wheat,  oh  the  wheat,  't  is  the  ripening  of  the  wheat ! 
All  the  day  it  has  been  hanging  down  its  heavy  head, 
Bowing  over  on  our  bosoms  with  a  beard  of  red ; 
'T  is  the  harvest  and  the  value  makes  the  labor  sweet. 

Chorus 

The  wheat,  oh  the  wheat,  and  the  golden,  golden  wheat ! 
Here 's  to  the  wheat,  with  the  loaves  upon  the  board ! 
We  've  been  reaping  all  the  day,  and  we  never  will  be  beat, 
But  fetch  it  all  to  mow-yard,  and  then  we  '11  thank  the  Lord. 

This  is  a  good  example  of  an  old  English  custom  much 
like  some  of  the  ancient  customs  of  the  Hebrew  people. 

The  only  fragment  of  a  rhymed  song  in  the  whole  Old 
Testament  has  recently  been  discovered  by  scholars,  in 
Hosea  viii,  7.  It  is  a  very  difficult  passage  to  translate 
on  account  of  the  condition  of  the  manuscript.  Our  older 
versions  do  not  give  the  poetry  of  it.  Probably  it  ran  some- 
what like  this  :  A  cornstalk  all  yellow 

Brings  no  meal  to  a  fellow ; 
But  if  grains  should  bend  it, 
The  wild  ox  would  end  it. 

This  must  have  been  an  old  proverb  of  the  farmer. 

[143] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  comments  on  Isaiah  xxviii,  23-29,  see 

International  Critical  Commentary,  "Isaiah." 

Students'  Old  Testament :  "  Sermons,  Epistles  and  Apocalypses 

of  the  Prophets." 

The  Bible  for  Home  and  School :  "  Isaiah." 
DRIVER.    Isaiah:  his  Life  and  Times,  pp.  52,  53. 
SMITH.    Isaiah,  Vol.  I,  chap,  viii,  sec.  4,  "  God's  Commonplace." 

For  cummin,  fennel,  spelt,  wheat,  barley,  etc.,  see 

TRISTRAM.   Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  comparison  with  harvest  customs  described  in  English  litera- 
ture, see 

BLACKMORE,  R.  D.   Lorna  Doone,  Vol.  I,  chap.  xxix.  (The  Ex- 
moor  Harvest  Song  is  given  here  in  full.) 

For  the  rhymed  translation  of  Hosea  viii,  ?,  see 

DUHM,   BERNHARD.   The  Twelve   Prophets,  p.  99.   The  Mac- 
millan  Company,  New  York.    $1.25. 


[J44] 


SELECTION  XVII.     THE  FIELDS  OF  BETHLEHEM 
AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH 

The  Book  of  Ruth 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  when  the  judges  judged,  that 
there  was  a  famine  in  the  land.  And  a  certain  man  of  Bethlehem- 
judah  went  to  sojourn  in  the  country  of  Moab,  he  and  his  wife,  and 
his  two  sons.  And  the  name  of  the  man  was  Elimelech,  and  the 
name  of  his  wife  Naomi,  and  the  name  of  his  two  sons  Mahlon  and 
Chilion,  Ephrathites  of  Bethlehem-judah.  And  they  came  into  the 
country  of  Moab,  and  continued  there.  And  Elimelech,  Naomi's 
husband,  died ;  and  she  was  left,  and  her  two  sons.  And  they  took 
them  wives  of  the  women  of  Moab ;  the  name  of  the  one  was  Orpah, 
and  the  name  of  the  other  Ruth :  and  they  dwelt  there  about  ten 
years.  And  Mahlon  and  Chilion  died  both  of  them ;  and  the  woman 
was  left  of  her  two  children  and  of  her  husband. 

Then  she  arose  with  her  daughters-in-law,  that  she  might  return 
from  the  country  of  Moab :  for  she  had  heard  in  the  country  of 
Moab  how  that  Jehovah  had  visited  his  people  in  giving  them  bread. 
And  she  went  forth  out  of  the  place  where  she  was,  and  her  two 
daughters-in-law  with  her ;  and  they  went  on  the  way  to  return  unto 
the  land  of  Judah.  And  Naomi  said  unto  her  two  daughters-in-law, 
Go,  return  each  of  you  to  her  mother's  house :  Jehovah  deal  kindly 
with  you,  as  ye  have  dealt  with  the  dead  and  with  me.  Jehovah  grant 
you  that  ye  may  find  rest,  each  of  you  in  the  house  of  her  husband. 
Then  she  kissed  them,  and  they  lifted  up  their  voice,  and  wept. 
And  they  said  unto  her,  Nay,  but  we  will  return  with  thee  unto  thy 
people.  And  Naomi  said,  Turn  again,  my  daughters :  why  will  ye 
go  with  me?  have  I  yet  sons  in  my  womb,  that  they  may  be  your 
husbands?  Turn  again,  my  daughters,  go  your  way;  for  I  am  too 
old  to  have  a  husband.  If  I  should  say,  I  have  hope,  if  I  should 

[MS] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

even  have  a  husband  to-night,  and  should  also  bear  sons  ;  would  ye 
therefore  tarry  till  they  were  grown  ?  would  ye  therefore  stay  from 
having  husbands  ?  nay,  my  daughters ;  for  it  grieveth  me  much  for 
your  sakes,  for  the  hand  of  Jehovah  is  gone  forth  against  me.  And 
they  lifted  up  their  voice,  and  wept  again:  and  Orpah  kissed  her 
mother-in-law ;  but  Ruth  clave  unto  her. 

And  she  said,  Behold,  thy  sister-in-law  is  gone  back  unto  her  people, 
and  unto  her  god :  return  thou  after  thy  sister-in-law.  And  Ruth  said, 

Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee, 

Or  to  return  from  following  after  thee ; 

For  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go ; 

And  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge ; 

Thy  people  shall  be  my  people, 

And  thy  God,  my  God ; 

Where  thou  diest,  will  I  die, 

And  there  will  I  be  buried ; 

The  Lord  do  so  to  me, 

And  more  also, 

If  aught  but  death  part  thee  and  me. 

And  when  she  saw  that  she  was  stedfastly  minded  to  go  with  her, 
she  left  off  speaking  unto  her. 

So  they  two  went  until  they  came  to  Bethlehem.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  they  were  come  to  Bethlehem,  that  all  the  city  was  moved 
about  them,  and  the  women  said,  Is  this  Naomi  ?  And  she  said  unto 
them,  Call  me  not  Naomi,1  call  me  Mara2;  for  the  Almighty  hath 
dealt  very  bitterly  with  me.  I  went  out  full,  and  Jehovah  hath  brought 
me  home  again  empty ;  why  call  ye  me  Naomi,  seeing  Jehovah  hath 
testified  against  me,  and  the  Almighty  hath  afflicted  me  ?  So  Naomi 
returned,  and  Ruth  the  Moabitess,  her  daughter-in-law,  with  her,  who 
returned  out  of  the  country  of  Moab :  and  they  came  to  Bethlehem 
in  the  beginning  of  barley  harvest. 

And  Naomi  had  a  kinsman  of  her  husband's,  a  mighty  man  of 
wealth,  of  the  family  of  Elimelech ;  and  his  name  was  Boaz.  And 

1  That  is,  "  pleasant."  2  That  is,  "bitter." 

[I46] 


BETHLEHEM  AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH 

Ruth  the  Moabitess  said  unto  Naomi,  Let  me  now  go  to  the  field,  and 
glean  among  the  ears  of  grain  after  him  in  whose  sight  I  shall  find 
favor.  And  she  said  unto  her,  Go,  my  daughter.  And  she  went,  and 
came  and  gleaned  in  the  field  after  the  reapers :  and  her  hap  was  to 
light  on  the  portion  of  the  field  belonging  unto  Boaz,  who  was  of  the 
family  of  Elimelech.  And,  behold,  Boaz  came  from  Bethlehem,  and 
said  unto  the  reapers,  Jehovah  be  with  you.  And  they  answered  him, 
Jehovah  bless  thee.  Then  said  Boaz  unto  his  servant  that  was  set 
over  the  reapers,  Whose  damsel  is  this?  And  the  servant  that  was 
set  over  the  reapers  answered  and  said,  It  is  the  Moabitish  damsel 
that  came  back  with  Naomi  out  of  the  country  of  Moab:  and  she 
said,  Let  me  glean,  I  pray  you,  and  gather  after  the  reapers  among 
the  sheaves.  So  she  came,  and  hath  continued  even  from  the  morn- 
ing until  now,  save  that  she  tarried  a  little  in  the  house. 

Then  said  Boaz  unto  Ruth,  Hearest  thou  not,  my  daughter?  Go 
not  to  glean  in  another  field,  neither  pass  from  hence,  but  abide  here 
fast  by  my  maidens.  Let  thine  eyes  be  on  the  field  that  they  do  reap, 
and  go  thou  after  them  :  have  I  not  charged  the  young  men  that  they 
shall  not  touch  thee  ?  and  when  thou  art  athirst,  go  unto  the  vessels, 
and  drink  of  that  which  the  young  men  have  drawn.  Then  she  fell 
on  her  face,  and  bowed  herself  to  the  ground,  and  said  unto  him, 
Why  have  I  found  favor  in  thy  sight,  that  thou  shouldest  take  knowl- 
edge of  me,  seeing  I  am  a  foreigner  ?  And  Boaz  answered  and  said 
unto  her,  It  hath  fully  been  showed  me,  all  that  thou  hast  done  unto 
thy  mother-in-law  since  the  death  of  thy  husband ;  and  how  thou  hast 
left  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  and  the  land  of  thy  nativity,  and  art 
come  unto  a  people  that  thou  knewest  not  heretofore.  Jehovah  recom- 
pense thy  work,  and  a  full  reward  be  given  thee  of  Jehovah,  the  God 
of  Israel,  under  whose  wings  thou  art  come  to  take  refuge.  Then  she 
said,  Let  me  find  favor  in  thy  sight,  my  lord ;  for  that  thou  hast  com- 
forted me,  and  for  that  thou  hast  spoken  kindly  unto  thy  handmaid, 
though  I  be  not  as  one  of  thy  handmaidens. 

And  at  meal-time  Boaz  said  unto  her,  Come  hither,  and  eat  of  the 
bread,  and  dip  thy  morsel  in  the  vinegar.  And  she  sat  beside  the 
reapers ;  and  they  reached  her  parched  grain,  and  she  did  eat,  and 
was  sufficed,  and  left  thereof.  And  when  she  was  risen  up  to  glean, 

[147] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Boaz  commanded  his  young  men,  saying,  Let  her  glean  even  among 
the  sheaves,  and  reproach  her  not.  And  also  pull  out  some  for  her 
from  the  bundles,  and  leave  it,  and  let  her  glean,  and  rebuke  her  not. 
So  she  gleaned  in  the  field  until  even ;  and  she  beat  out  that  which 
she  had  gleaned,  and  it  was  about  an  ephah  of  barley.  And  she  took 
it  up,  and  went  into  the  city;  and  her  mother-in-law  saw  what  she 
had  gleaned :  and  she  brought  forth  and  gave  to  her  that  which  she 
had  left  after  she  was  sufficed.  And  her  mother-in-law  said  unto  her, 
Where  hast  thou  gleaned  to-day  ?  and  where  hast  thou  wrought  ? 
blessed  be  he  that  did  take  knowledge  of  thee.  And  she  showed  her 
mother-in-law  with  whom  she  had  wrought,  and  said,  The  man's  name 
with  whom  I  wrought  to-day  is  Boaz.  And  Naomi  said  unto  her 
daughter-in-law,  Blessed  be  he  of  Jehovah,  who  hath  not  left  off  his 
kindness  to  the  living  and  to  the  dead.  And  Naomi  said  unto  her, 
The  man  is  nigh  of  kin  unto  us,  one  of  our  near  kinsmen.  And  Ruth 
the  Moabitess  said,  Yea,  he  said  unto  me,  Thou  shalt  keep  fast  by  my 
young  men,  until  they  have  ended  all  my  harvest.  And  Naomi  said 
unto  Ruth  her  daughter-in-law,  It  is  good,  my  daughter,  that  thou 
go  out  with  his  maidens,  and  that  they  meet  thee  not  in  any  other 
field.  So  she  kept  fast  by  the  maidens  of  Boaz,  to  glean  unto  the 
end  of  barley  harvest  and  of  wheat  harvest ;  and  she  dwelt  with  her 
mother-in-law. 

Goethe  said  that  the  Book  of  Ruth  is  the  loveliest  little 
idyl  which  has  come  down  to  us  through  the  ages.  It  has 
received  praise  from  all  students  of  literature  because  it  is 
so  simple  and  sincere,  with  the  quaint  background  of  long 
ago,  and  the  sweetness  of  an  unaffected  country  romance. 
There  is  no  art  for  art's  sake  in  this  little  masterpiece, 
and  yet  it  is  one  of  the  most  truly  artistic  bits  of  literature 
that  can  be  found  anywhere,  one  of  the  best  told  and  most 
beautiful  stories  in  all  the  world.  Three  figures  stand  out 
conspicuously  in  the  book  —  Naomi,  Ruth,  and  Boaz : 
Naomi,  the  older  woman,  bearing  the  scars  of  many  hard 
and  sad  experiences  in  life ;  Ruth,  the  young  woman, 

[148] 


BETHLEHEM  AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH 

hopeful,  cheerful,  loving,  and  faithful ;  and  Boaz,  well-to- 
do,  but  unspoiled,  large-hearted,  and  thoughtful  for  others. 
Of  course  Ruth  is  the  central  figure.  Thomas  Hood,  the 
English  poet,  wrote  a  poem  about  her,  beginning  thus : 

She  stood  breast  high  amid  the  corn, 
Clasped  by  the  golden  light  of  morn, 
Like  the  sweetheart  of  the  sun, 
Who  many  a  glowing  kiss  had  won. 

True  it  is  that  Ruth  has  been  the  sweetheart  of  Bible 
lovers.  The  whole  story  is  established  forever  in  the 
hearts  of  all  who  love  nobility  and  romance. 

There  are  two  themes  which  underlie  this  story.  When 
one  reaches  the  close  of  the  book  and  reads  that  Ruth  was 
the  great-grandmother  of  David,  a  real  purpose  for  the 
story  appears.  At  a  later  time  in  Jewish  history  great 
stress  was  laid  upon  the  Hebrew  marriage  law  commanding 
all  true  Hebrews  to  marry  into  their  own  race.  Men  who 
had  married  foreign  wives  were  even  asked  to  divorce  them, 
although  they  might  have  happy  homes.  Many  men  ob- 
jected to  such  strictness  and,  of  course,  if  they  could  show 
that  their  most  honored  and  beloved  hero,  King  David, 
had  foreign  blood  in  his  veins,  they  had  a  strong  argu- 
ment on  their  side.  But  this  object  in  the  story  is  not  so 
apparent  to  us,  at  our  time,  as  the  subordinate  theme 
which  comes  out  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  tale  —  Ruth's 
loyalty  to  the  woman  she  loved  better  than  any  one  else. 
"  The  warp  and  woof  of  the  story  is  the  friendship  between 
two  women,  and  the  grand  climax  up  to  which  all  is 
working  is  the  birth  of  a  baby,"  l  that  baby  of  course  being 
the  grandfather  of  David.  Some  of  David's  finest  traits 

1  Professor  Moulton  in  "  The  Modern  Reader's  Bible." 

L'49] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

have  been  traced  to  Ruth,  as,  for  example,  his  loyal  love  for 
his  friend  Jonathan,  and  the  rich  vein  of  poetic  feeling  that 
comes  out  in  the  earliest  Psalms  which  are  attributed  to  him. 

The  fountains  of  Hebraic  song 

Are  in  thy  heart,  fair  Ruth, 

Fountains  whose  tides  are  deep  and  strong 

In  deathless  love  and  truth.1 

The  fitting  background  for  such  a  beautiful  pastoral  as 
this  charming  story  of  Ruth  is  Bethlehem,  one  of  the  most 
noted  and  most  frequently  visited  places  in  Palestine.  It 
lies  five  miles  south  of  Jerusalem  and  was  the  home  of 
David's  boyhood  and  the  birthplace  of  Jesus.  The  name 
Bethlehem  means  "  place  of  bread."  Except  in  favored 
spots,  the  Judean  plateau  is  rugged  and  waterless.  The 
farmers  raise  their  crops  in  the  valleys  between  the  ridges, 
where  the  fields  spread  out  to  some  extent  and  where 
springs  are  to  be  found.  Of  all  the  sites  in  Judea  for  a 
good  farm  Bethlehem  is  the  best.  It  is  on  the  top  of  the 
plateau  which  rises  from  the  low  hills  on  the  west  and 
descends  very  rapidly  to  the  rough  wilderness  on  the  east 
which  borders  the  Dead  Sea.  On  either  side  there  are 
deep  valleys  with  steep,  rocky  sides,  but  here  the  hills  are 
rounded,  the  valley  is  shallow,  and  there  is  plenty  of  room 
for  wheat  fields.  Near  by  is  an  ever-running  brook  along 
which  the  most  luscious  fruit  is  grown.  Here  are  the 
famous  Gardens  and  Pools  of  Solomon.  Here,  too,  some 
of  the  finest  honey  in  the  world  is  made,  the  bees  finding 
a  harvest  in  these  fragrant  meadows  and  giving  Palestine 
the  reputation  of  being  "  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey."  Bee  culture  was  doubtless  known  here  in  very 

1  See  Essay  on  Ruth  in  "  The  Bible  as  Literature." 
[ISO] 


BETHLEHEM  AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH 

ancient  times,  for  in  the  Love  Song  of  Solomon,  where  his 
Pleasure  Gardens  make  the  scenery  of  the  poem,  he  sings, 

Thy  lips,  O  my  bride,  drop  as  the  honeycomb : 
Honey  and  milk  are  under  thy  tongue.1 

This  spot  is  called  "a  little  paradise"   and  is  a  most 
appropriate  setting  for  the  verse, 

Rise  up, 

My  love, 

My  fair  one, 

And  come  away, 

For  lo,  the  winter  is  past. 

The  rain  is  over  and  gone ; 

The  flowers  appear  on  the  earth ; 

The  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come, 

And  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land ; 

The  fig  tree  ripeneth  her  green  figs, 

And  the  vines  are  in  blossom, 

They  give  forth  their  fragrance.2 

It  is  about  a  half  hour's  walk  from  these  Gardens  of 
Solomon  to  the  fields  of  Bethlehem  where  Solomon's  rustic 
ancestors,  Ruth  and  Boaz,  carried  on  their  courtship.  Boaz 
was  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  this  valley,  and  it  was 
probably  in  the  month  of  May  that  he  was  harvesting  his 
grain,  for  in  Palestine  wheat  is  sown  in. the  fall,  as  is  our 
winter  wheat,  and  matures  very  quickly  after  the  spring 
rains.  The  Psalmist  tries  to  show  God's  loving  desire  for 
his  people  in  the  following  verse  : 

He  would  feed  them  also  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat ; 
And  with  honey  out  of  the  rock  would  he  satisfy  them.3 

1  Song  of  Songs  iv,  n. 

2  Song  of  Songs  ii,  10-13,  Moulton's  arrangement. 

8  Ps.  Ixxxi,  1 6,  American  Revised  Version,  with  Briggs's  change  in 
the  pronouns. 


SANTA 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

Surely  the  writer  of  this  out-of-doors  story  of  Ruth  shows 
how  a  simple,  loyal,  country  maiden  was  rewarded  for  her 
faithful  love. 

The  first  part  of  the  story  tells  how  Ruth,  the  Moabitess,  a 
woman  of  an  alien  race,  came  to  make  her  home  in  Bethle- 
hem and  to  become  the  ancestress  of  David.  Bethlehem 
was  Naomi's  home,  but  even  here  in  this  comparatively 
fertile  spot  sometimes  the  drought,  which  is  Palestine's 
worst  enemy,  would  continue  for  so  long  a  time  that  poor 
people,  with  their  very  primitive  methods  of  farming,  could 
not  find  enough  to  eat.  Then  it  was  that,  time  and  time 
again,  the  Israelites  were  tempted  to  leave  their  native  land 
and  seek  other  homes,  where  the  pasture  would  be  more 
abundant  and  there  would  be  bread  enough  for  the  children. 
Moab,  the  land  east  of  Jordan,  was  always  considered  one 
of  the  best  pasture  grounds,  and  Naomi  and  her  husband 
had  migrated  thither  to  bring  up  their  family.  Here  they 
had  lived  ten  years,  and  the  two  boys  had  grown  up  and 
married,  when  great  sorrow  came  to  the  home.  The  hus- 
band and  sons  all  died,  and  of  course  the  natural  thing  for 
Naomi  to  do  was  to  go  back  to  her  relatives  in  Bethlehem. 
Ruth's  reply  to  Naomi  when  she  was  starting  out  on  her 
journey  home  has  become  justly  famous.  It  is  true  poetry, 
a  "musical  entreaty"  cast  in  verse  form.  The  whole  book 
is  a  prose  poem,  but  here  the  story  breaks  into  rhythm. 

Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee, 
Or  to  return  from  following  after  thee ; 
For  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go ; 
And  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge ; 
Thy  people  shall  be  my  people, 
And  thy  God,  my  God ; 

[152] 


BETHLEHEM  AND  THE  STORY  OF  RUTH 

Where  thou  diest,  will  I  die, 

And  there  will  I  be  buried; 

The  Lord  do  so  to  me, 

And  more  also, 

If  aught  but  death  part  thee  and  me. 

These  immortal  words  were  perhaps  the  nucleus  of  the 
tale,  sung  over  and  over  by  one  generation  to  the  next, 
until  some  gifted  writer  imbedded  it  in  enduring  literature. 
It  has  now  become  one  of  two  classic  expressions  of  loyal 
attachment,  the  other  being  David's  Lament  over  Jonathan,1 
who,  we  are  told,  loved  David  "  as  his  own  soul."  2 

The  scene  in  the  wheat  fields  where  Ruth  ventures  forth 
as  a  gleaner,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  times,  is  so 
nearly  like  the  very  scenes  in  that  vicinity  to-day,  that 
travelers  have  almost  felt  they  have  met  Ruth  and  Boaz 
themselves.  If  one  happens  to  come  into  a  wheat  field  at 
mealtime  he  is  likely  to  be  invited  to  sit  down  with  the 
farmer  under  a  booth  made  of  branches,  while  the  farmer's 
wife  and  children  prepare  and  serve  what  to  us  seems  much 
like  a  picnic  lunch.  A  wild  pigeon  cooked  on  a  stick  over 
a  fire  of  twigs  will  perhaps  be  the  pihe  de  resistance.  But 
"the  out-of-door  luxury"  of  Palestine  is  parched  wheat  — 
sure  to  be  a  part  of  the  menu.  The  children  are  sent  to  the 
field  to  gather  some  of  the  finest  heads  of  the  grain.  The 
mother  takes  them  and,  placing  them  upon  a  few  wisps  of 
straw,  reaches  for  a  live  coal  from  the  fire,  with  which  she 
lights  the  straw.  The  blaze  sets  fire  to  the  hairs  and  hulls 
of  the  wheat  and  parches  the  kernels.  The  hot  heads  of 
grain  are  then  rubbed  in  the  hand  until  the  blackened 
kernels  are  released  from  the  stalk,  and  then  the  hostess 

1  2  Sam.  i,  17-27.  2  i  Sam.  xviii,  i. 

[153] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

passes  these  kernels  to  her  guest  on  a  wicker  plate.  Such 
a  meal  was  probably  much  like  that  of  Ruth  in  the  fields 
of  Boaz,  when  "  she  sat  beside  the  reapers  and  they  reached 
her  parched  grain,  and  she  did  eat  and  was  sufficed."  l 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  estimates  of  the  Book  of  R^^th,  see 

MCFADYEN.  An  Introduction  to  the  Old  Testament.  A.  C.  Arm- 
strong &  Son,  New  York.  $1.50. 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 

JESSUP,  A.  E.,  and  CANBY,  H.  S.  Book  of  the  Short  Story,  in- 
troduction, p.  4.  D.  Appleton  and  Company,  New  York.  $1.10. 

MOULTON.    Modern  Reader's  Bible  :  "  Biblical  Idyls." 

The  Bible  as  Literature,  essay  v,  "  Ruth  and  Esther." 

For  a  description  of  Bethlehem  and  the  country  around  it,  see 

BALDENSPERGER.   The  Immovable  East,  chap,  v,  "The  Gardens 

of  Solomon." 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  bee-keeping  in  Palestine,  see 

BALDENSPERGER.  The  Immovable  East,  introduction  and  chap,  v, 
"  The  Gardens  of  Solomon." 

For  parching  wheat  and  for  other  customs  mentioned  in  Ruth,  see 

HUNTINGTON.    Palestine  and  its  Transformation,  p.  142. 
GRANT.    The  Peasantry  of  Palestine,  p.  86. 
KALEEL.   When  I  was  a  Boy  in  Palestine,  pp.  139-142. 
WHITNEY.    "Village  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,"  in  the  National 

Geographic  Magazine,  March,  1914. 
Bible  dictionaries,  arts.  "  Parched  Wheat"  and  "•Food." 

1  Ruth  ii,  14. 


[154] 


SELECTION  XVIII.  THE  SONG  OF  THE  VINEYARD 

Isa.  v,  1-7 

Every  nation  has  its  early  poetry.  The  poetic  instinct 
seems  born  in  men,  for  they  must  sing  at  their  work,  and 
at  their  play,  and  even  when  they  fight.  So  we  find  har- 
vest songs,  hunting  songs,  and  battle  songs  in  early  liter- 
ature. Primitive  people  seem  to  have  been  able  to  do 
everything  better  to  music.  To  its  rhythm  they  could 
march  in  better  step,  they  could  swing  their  sickles  more 
regularly  and  tread  the  grapes  more  joyously.  It  is  true 
that  the  great  hymn  book  of  the  Hebrews,  our  Book  of 
Psalms,  is  made  up  of  songs  which  were  used  in  worship, 
but  this  collection  was  not  made  until  comparatively  late 
in  their  history.  Sprinkled  throughout  the  Old  Testament 
we  find  remains  of  an  old  folk  poetry  —  labor  songs,  dirges 
over  the  dead,  wedding  songs,  and  snatches  of  popular 
poetry  sung  in  the  streets  —  which  make  it  clear  that 
Hebrew  literature,  like  every  other  great  literature,  was 
born  from  a  feeling  for  the  rhythms  of  life.  Here  fact 
and  fancy,  the  real  and  the  ideal,  activity  and  repose, 
righteousness  and  peace,  kiss  each  other  and  become 
friends,  even  as  the  Old  Testament  itself  rhythmically 
and  poetically  expresses  this  deep  truth  of  human  nature.1 
The  moment  a  literature  lapses  into  a  purely  didactic 
expression,  an  utterly  prosaic  style,  that  moment  it  ceases 

1  Ps.  Ixxxv,  10. 

[155] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

to  be  great,  because  it  is  untrue  to  life,  and  because  it  has 
lost  its  appeal  to  human  beings  created  upon  the  rhythmic 
plan.  The  life  of  ancient  peoples  may  seem  slow  to  us 
who  live  so  fast,  but  it  certainly  was  not  dull  or  monoto- 
nous to  them  when,  for  the  very  joy  of  living,  they  sang 
at  work  and  play.  Hebrew  literature  is  great  literature  and 
will  never  lose  its  appeal,  because  it  is  primarily  poetic, 
not  prosaic.  In  our  older  versions  of  the  Bible  the  poetic 
quality  has  been  largely  obscured  by  the  way  the  transla- 
tions were  printed.  Now  scholars  translate  so  much  more 
accurately  that  the  fragments  of  old  folk  songs  imbedded 
in  various  books,  as  well  as  the  one  long  and  complete 
collection  of  hymns,  are  printed  as  poetry. 

Of  all  the  labor  songs  presented  to  us  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, those  which  were  sung  in  the  vineyards  and  at  the 
grape  festivals  seem  to  have  been  the  most  popular.  Even 
to-day  this  is  the  happiest  time  of  the  year  among  the 
peasant  people,  and  joyful  choruses  ring  out  over  the  ter- 
raced hillsides  as  the  laborers  gather  the  fruit  of  the  vine. 
Isaiah's  Song  of  the  Vineyard  is  doubtless  based  upon 
this  type  of  folk  song. 

To  understand  the  allusions  in  Isaiah's  poem  we  need 
to  know  something  concerning  the  way  they  planted  vine- 
yards in  those  days.  Grape  raising  was  in  ancient  times, 
and  still  is,  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  industries 
of  Palestine.  Many  varieties  of  luscious  grapes  are  culti- 
vated ;  one  greenish-white  grape  measures  from  one  half 
to  two  thirds  of  an  inch  in  diameter ;  another,  olive-shaped 
and  white,  resembles  the  Malaga  grape ;  another  is  dark 
purple  and  of  the  size  of  a  small  prune ;  there  is  a  vari- 
ety similar  to  the  Black  Hamburg  ;  another  kind,  with 

[156] 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  VINEYARD 

a  green  rind,  is  striped  with  red,  with  a  pulp  almost  as 
firm  as  that  of  an  apple ;  another  resembles  the  famous 
Zante  currant  and  still  another  the  Isabella  grape  —  and 
all  this  variety  does  not  exhaust  the  shapes,  sizes,  and 
flavors.  To-day  the  finest  grapes  to  be  bought  in  Jerusa- 
lem come  from  near  Hebron,  and  remind  one  of  the  story 
of  the  grapes  of  Eshcol  in  the  Book  of  Numbers.  Grapes  are 
eaten  very  freely  during  August,  September,  and  October, 
and  even  up  to  December.  The  price  is  a  cent  a  pound 
when  cheap,  gradually  creeping  up  to  as  much  as  six  cents. 
Vineyards  flourish  best  on  terraced  hillsides,  and  there- 
fore are  especially  adapted  to  Palestine.  They  are  found  on 
the  Judean  hills  and  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Carmel  and  the 
Lebanons  and  over  the  rolling  country  of  Samaria.  They 
do  very  well  without  rain,  especially  if  there  is  a  good  sub- 
soil. They  are  cultivated  in  a  variety  of  ways.  Sometimes 
the  vines  are  trained  over  a  trellis  or  made  to  climb  a  tree ; 
sometimes  they  are  fastened  to  stakes  about  the  height  of 
a  man,  the  branches  spreading  out  laterally  and  forming 
festoons ;  but  more  often  the  stem  trails  on  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  the  cluster-bearing  branches  are  supported 
by  forked  sticks  sufficiently  to  keep  them  off  the  ground. 
Of  course  in  this  rocky  country  the  land  for  a  vineyard 
has  first  to  be  cleared  of  stones ;  after  the  planting,  a  fence 
or  hedge  of  some  sort  must  be  placed  around  the  vineyard, 
and  a  watchtower  erected  to  keep  off  wild  animals  and 
thieves.  Sometimes,  to  frighten  away  the  animals,  a  large 
stone  three  or  four  feet  high  is  set  up  and  whitewashed  at 
the  top  so  that  it  can  be  seen  at  night.  The  watchman 
often  places  a  thin  row  of  fine  stones  along  the  top  of  his 
wall  in  such  a  way  that  a  thief  would  rattle  them  down 

[157] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

and  waken  him  in  the  night.  A  wine  vat,  or  press,  is  dug 
out  of  the  hard  soil  or  excavated  in  the  rock.  There  the 
juice  of  the  ripe  grapes  is  trodden  out  to  be  made  into 
wine.  Of  course  this  stains  the  clothes  of  the  workmen. 
There  are  numerous  references  in  the  Old  Testament  to 
this  treading  of  the  wine  press.  One  of  the  most  graphic 
is  in  the  sixty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  where  the  prophet 
sees  the  Man  of  Vengeance  coming  to  save  the  people 
from  injustice. 

Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  crimsoned  garments 
from  Bozrah  ?  this  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  marching  in  the 
greatness  of  his  strength? 

I  that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save. 

Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  like 
him  that  treadeth  in  the  winevat? 

I  have  trodden  the  winepress  alone ;  and  of  the  peoples  there  was 
no  man  with  me :  yea,  I  trod  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trampled  them 
in  my  wrath ;  and  their  lifeblood  is  sprinkled  upon  my  garments, 
and  I  have  stained  all  my  raiment.1 

The  season  at  the  wine-making  is  one  of  great  joy.  It 
begins  in  some  places  as  early  as  July,  but  the  most  of 
the  grapes  are  fully  ripe  in  August  and  September ;  the 
peasants  use  the  expression  "In  Grapes"  for  the  month  of 
August.  Booths  of  boughs  are  then  built  within  the  vine- 
yards for  the  workmen  to  sleep  in,  and  whole  families  go 
to  the  vineyards  to  live.  There  is  constant  singing  and 
shouting,  and  this  season  is  the  happiest  of  the  year. 

It  was  probably  at  some  great  national  feast-day  at  the 
close  of  the  vintage  season  —  very  likely  in  Jerusalem, 
where  the  people  from  the  country  had  gathered  for  the 
occasion  —  that  Isaiah  assumed  the  role  of  popular  singer 

1  American  Revised  Version,  with  marginal  reading. 
[158] 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  VINEYARD 

in  the  street  or  market  place,  in  order  to  attract  the  crowd 
and  make  them  listen  to  his  message  of  justice.  Here  he 
sang  this  Love  Song  of  the  Vineyard,  and  then  pointed 
his  moral.  We  must  remember  that  his  prophecies  are 
almost  without  exception  poems  or  poetic  fragments. 
Isaiah  has  been  classed  with  Dante  and  Shakespeare 
among  the  world's  immortal  poets. 

A  song  will  I  sing  of  my  friend, 
A  love-song  touching  his  vineyard. 

A  vineyard  belongs  to  my  friend, 

On  a  hill  that  is  fruitful  and  sunny; 

He  digged  it  and  cleared  it  of  stones, 

And  planted  there  vines  that  are  choice ; 

A  tower  he  built  in  the  midst, 

And  hewed  out  therein  a  wine-vat ; 

And  he  looked  to  find  grapes  that  are  good, 

Alas !  it  bore  grapes  that  are  wild. 

Ye,  in  Jerusalem  dwelling, 

And  ye,  who  are  freemen  of  Judah, 

Judge  ye,  I  pray,  between  me 

And  the  vineyard  which  I  have  cherished. 

What  could  have  been  done  for  my  vineyard 

That  I  had  not  done  ? 

When  I  looked  to  find  grapes  that  are  good, 

Why  bore  it  grapes  that  are  wild  ? 

And  now  let  me  give  you  to  know 

What  I  purpose  to  do  to  my  vineyard : 

I  will  take  away  its  hedge, 

That  it  be  eaten  up. 

I  will  break  through  its  walls, 

That  it  be  trodden  down ; 

Yea,  I  will  make  it  a  waste, 

Neither  pruned  nor  weeded ; 

[159] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

It  shall  shoot  up  thorns  and  briers, 

And  the  clouds  will  I  enjoin  that  they  rain  not  upon  it. 

For  the  vineyard  of  Jehovah  of  hosts  is  the  house  of  Israel, 

And  the  men  of  Judah  his  cherished  plantation ; 

And  he  looked  for  justice,  but  behold !  bloodshed, 

For  righteousness,  and  behold  !  an  outcry.1 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  folk  songs,  see 

GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament,  chap,  ii,  "  The  Folk 
Poetry  of  Israel." 

For  interpretation  and  comments  upon  the  Song  of  the  Vineyard, 
see 

FOWLER.    History  of  the  Literature  of  Ancient  Israel. 
GORDON.   The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 
The  Bible  for  Home  and  School,  "  Isaiah." 
Students'  Old  Testament :  "Sermons,  Epistles  and  Apocalypses  of 
the  Prophets." 

DRIVER.    Isaiah :  his  Life  and  Times,  pp.  26,  27. 

SMITH.    Isaiah,  Vol.  I,  chap,  iii,  "  The  Vineyard  of  the  Lord." 

International  Critical  Commentary,  "  Isaiah." 

For  vineyards  and  grape  raising  in  Palestine,  see 

GRANT.   The  Peasantry  of  Palestine. 
BALDENSPERGER.   The  Immovable  East,  p.  283. 
TRISTRAM.    Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

1  Cheyne's  translation,  Polychrome  Bible. 


[160] 


SELECTION  XIX.    THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 

Ps.  xxiii  (Ps.  xxii,  Douay) 

Another  Hebrew  poem  which  has  sunk  so  deep  into 
the  heart  life  of  English-speaking  people  that  it  can  never 
be  forgotten  is  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  or  the  twenty- 
second  in  the  Douay  version.  There  is  a  reason  for  this 
beyond  the  mere  fact  of  its  beautiful  sentiment.  It  is  great 
from  the  standpoint  of  religious  feeling,  but  it  is  great  also 
as  lyric  poetry.  Lyric  poetry  is  the  short,  passionate  out- 
burst of  personal  feeling  in  poetic  form.  Hebrew  poetry 
found  its  best  expression  in  the  lyric,  and  there  are  no 
lyrics  in  the  world's  literature  that  surpass  some  of  the 
Psalms.  The  twenty-third  Psalm  has  been  called  "the 
sweetest  of  all  the  Psalms,"  and  to  many  people  it  is  so 
precious  that  should  they  lose  all  else  in  the  Bible, — nay  all 
else  in  literature,  —  they  would  cling  to  the  twenty-third 
Psalm  as  worth  more  than  volumes.  The  same  thought 
has  been  expressed  many  times  in  other  ways,  but  nowhere 
more  simply  and  musically  and  nowhere  with  such  beautiful 
imagery  and  such  depth  of  feeling.  For  a  poem  to  be  re- 
membered by  the  common  folk  and  become  immortal,  not 
only  among  the  literati  but  for  the  unlettered  as  well,  it 
must  be  musical,  and  the  twenty-third  Psalm  sings  itself. 

Dr.  Van  Dyke  tells  us  that  Hebrew  poetry  has  three 
striking  characteristics,  a  deep  and  genuine  love  of  nature, 
a  passionate  sense  of  the  beauty  of  holiness,  and  an  intense 

[161] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

joy  in  God.  The  twenty-third  Psalm  embodies  all  three 
of  these  qualities.  It  is  one  of  the  most  charming  of  pas- 
torals and  must  have  been  written  out  of  the  heart  experi- 
ence of  a  true  shepherd.  We  love  to  associate  it  with  the 
Shepherd  King  of  Israel.  The  first  half  fits  in  most  per- 
fectly with  David's  early  life,  and  the  latter  half,  which 
passes  from  the  figure  of  the  shepherd  to  that  of  a  host 
entertaining  his  friend,  fits  in  with  some  of  David's  expe- 
riences as  king.  The  gifted  musician  who  could  play  away 
the  evil  moods  of  King  Saul  would  seem  alone  the  rightful 
one  to  whom  to  attribute  such  power  of  throwing  the  magic 
spell  over  the  whole  heart-sick  world.  It  is  at  any  rate 
one  of  the  very  earliest  of  the  Psalms  and  belongs  to  the 
Davidic  collection.  The  best  scholars  think  it  must  have 
been  written  in  the  days  of  the  early  monarchy,1  because 
of  its  simplicity  of  diction  and  its  reflection  of  the  childlike 
faith  of  people  living  in  the  open. 

To  understand  it  completely,  however,  one  should  know 
something  not  only  about  the  habits  of  the  shepherds  but 
also  about  the  sheep  of  the  East,  for  the  East  has  always 
been  the  land  of  sheep.  Sheep  were  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance to  the  Israelites  in  the  early  days  of  their  history, 
while  they  were  strictly  a  pastoral  people  ;  and  even  down 
to  the  present  day  the  raising  of  sheep  is  one  of  the  main 
industries  of  Palestine,  especially  on  the  eastern  plateaus, 
where  the  Bedouins  drive  their  flocks  over  the  fenceless 
fields  wherever  they  can  find  pasture.  This  was  the  con- 
dition over  the  whole  of  Palestine  in  the  days  of  the  patri- 
archs, whose  possessions  were  numbered  by  the  sheep  they 

1  Professor  Briggs,  in  the  International  Critical  Commentary,  thinks 
it  was  written  in  Solomon's  reign. 

[162] 


THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 

had,  the  number  sometimes  mounting  into  the  thousands. 
Sheep  may  be  counted  by  the  thousands  to-day  over  on  the 
eastern  plateau.  It  is  an  impressive  sight  in  early  spring, 
when  the  grass  first  shoots  up  in  all  its  freshness,  to  see 
countless  flocks  stretching  out  for  miles  over  the  hills  and 
valleys.  The  Bedouin  tribes  from  far  and  near  still  gather 
in  this  locality,  and  their  wealth  in  sheep  seems  boundless. 
In  olden  times  Abraham  and  Isaac  were  very  rich  men  in 
the  eyes  of  their  neighbors — not  because  they  had  money, 
but  because  they  owned  so  many  flocks.  Indeed  sheep 
were  then  used  in  place  of  money.  We  read  that  the  king 
of  Moab  at  one  time  was  obliged  to  pay  the  king  of  Israel 
an  annual  tribute  of  one  hundred  thousand  lambs  and  the 
same  number  of  rams.1  Sheep  have  always  been  used  for 
food  ;  Solomon's  household  consumed  one  hundred  a  day. 
Amos  complains  that  the  pampered  rich  of  his  time  would 
eat  nothing  but  the  lambs  out  of  the  flock,  just  as  the  epi- 
cure of  our  day  demands  sirloin  steak  or  quail  on  toast. 
The  milk  is  used  to  drink  and  for  making  butter  and 
cheese.  The  skin  is  used  for  coats  —  a  great  protection 
against  wind  and  rain  —  and  for  making  bottles  for  all 
kinds  of  liquids.  Wool  has  been  one  of  the  constant  staples 
of  trade  in  Palestine  ;  it  is  spun  and  woven  into  cloth  of  all 
descriptions.  The  long,  curved  horns  of  the  rams  are  used 
for  trumpets,  oil-flasks,  and  powderhorns.  The  sheep  has 
always  been  the  chief  animal  sacrificed  to  the  gods.  It  is 
supposed  that  this  originated  not  only  from  the  idea  of 
giving  from  one's  possessions  an  offering  to  the  deity  but 
from  the  friendly  communion  of  spirit  which  comes  at  a 
feast  or  meal ;  that  is,  it  is  the  symbol  not  merely  for  sin 

1  2  Kings  iii,  4. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

atoned  for  but  also  for  friendly  intercourse  of  soul  between 
man  and  his  god.  The  sheep  seems  to  have  been  reserved 
for  sacrifice,  for  special  festivities,  and  for  welcoming  a 
friend  or  stranger  as  a  guest.  This  is  done  to-day  by  Ori- 
entals, a  lamb  or  calf  being  prepared  as  a  delicacy,  just  as 
Abraham  "  ran  unto  the  herd,  and  fetched  a  calf  tender 
and  good,  and  took  butter  and  milk,  and  the  calf  which  he 
had  dressed,"  and  set  it  before  the  angels  who  visited  him.1 
The  butter  mentioned  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament was  not  like  the  hard  butter  we  eat  spread  upon 
our  bread,  but  is  supposed  to  have  been  like  that  made  in 
Palestine  to-day.  After  the  women  have  milked  the  sheep 
or  goats,  they  put  the  milk  into  a  goatskin  bottle,  which 
has  clots  of  sour  milk  from  a  previous  churning  still  adher- 
ing to  its  sides.  Then  the  skin  is  hung  upon  a  tripod  of 
sticks  and  shaken  vigorously  back  and  forth  until  the  but- 
ter "  comes."  When  taken  out  of  the  skin,  this  butter  is 
very  white  ;  the  use  of  butter  color  is  not  yet  fashionable  in 
Palestine.  It  is  now  boiled  and  turned  into  what  is  known 
with  us  as  clarified  butter.  This  they  use  for  cooking 
purposes,  and  it  is  much  prized  in  the  culinary  arts  of  the 
East.  They  also  use  fresh  butter,  which  is  eaten  mixed 
with  sugar  or  honey  or  a  kind  of  molasses  made  from 
grapes  and  is  served  in  a  bowl  into  which  each  person 
dips  his  piece  of  bread  as  he  eats.  When  Isaiah  tells 
of  the  butter  and  honey  that  shall  form  the  staple  food 
for  every  one  left  in  the  land,  he  is  evidently  speaking 
of  this  fresh  butter  mixed  with  honey,  which  was  the 
food  common  to  the  poor  who  had  only  goat's  milk  and 
honey  to  depend  upon.2 

1  Gen.  xviii,  7,8.    See  also  2  Sam.  xii,  4.         2  Isa.  vii,  15,  22. 
[I64] 


THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 

The  time  of  sheepshearing  was  one  of  great  merry- 
making, celebrated  by  a  special  festival.  There  are  vari- 
ous kinds  of  sheep  raised  in  Palestine — fine,  short- wooled 
breeds,  somewhat  like  the  Merino,  and  long,  coarse-wooled 
varieties.  The  kind  which  has  been  there  from  very  ancient 
times  is  the  fat-tailed  sheep,  the  immense  tail  containing 
often  as  much  as  ten  pounds  of  fat.  This  is  tried  out,  pre- 
pared with  portions  of  the  lean  meat,  and  packed  away  for 
winter  use.  Sheep  can  find  pasturage  even  in  dry  weather, 
and  they  yield  milk  longer  and  more  abundantly  than  cows. 
They  need  to  be  watered  but  once  a  day. 

The  relation  of  a  shepherd  to  his  sheep  is  very  intimate 
and  tender.  He  always  leads,  never  drives,  them  to  pas- 
ture and  water.  At  watering  time  the  flocks  of  various 
shepherds  all  gather  at  the  stream  or  spring,  and  each 
shepherd  calls  his  own  sheep  by  groups.  As  he  draws  the 
water  for  them  and  pours  it  into  the  troughs,  they  wait 
patiently  until  a  particular  group  is  called,  then  when  that 
group  is  sent  away,  the  next  follows  in  orderly  fashion; 
when  the  whole  flock  has  been  watered,  the  shepherd  gives 
the  signal,  and  all  his  flock  rise  and  walk  away,  making 
place  at  the  troughs  for  the  sheep  of  the  next  shepherd. 
They  are  said  never  to  make  any  mistake  as  to  who  calls 
them.  Girls  are  often  entrusted  with  the  care  of  their 
father's  flocks,  and  the  watering  troughs  are  often  places 
for  oriental  courtships.  It  was  at  one  of  these  wells  that  Jacob 
fell  in  love  at  first  sight  with  Rachel 1  and  that  Moses  first 
met  his  wife  as  she  and  her  sisters  "came  and  drew  water, 
and  filled  the  troughs  to  water  their  father's  flock."2  The 
customs  in  courtship  have  not  changed  in  all  these  years. 

1  Gen.  xxix.  2  Exod.  ii,  16. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

The  shepherd  is  most  careful  of  the  lambs.  He  can 
often  be  seen  carrying  a  lamb  under  each  arm  and  two  or 
three  more  in  the  hood  of  his  cloak,  as  he  leads  out  his 
flock  for  the  day.  One  of  the  familiar  verses  in  Isaiah 
truly  represents  this. 

He  will  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd, 

He  will  gather  the  lambs  in  his  arm, 

And  carry  them  in  his  bosom, 

And  will  gently  lead  those  that  have  their  young.1 

So  friendly  is  the  shepherd  with  his  sheep  that  they  have 
the  same  kind  of  attachment  for  him  as  a  dog  has  for  his 
master  in  this  country,  and  often  the  shepherds  play  with 
their  sheep  the  way  masters  do  with  their  dogs,  making 
them  run  and  gambol.  Each  sheep  has  a  name,  and  when 
the  shepherd  calls  one,  it  will  answer  with  a  bleat  or  come 
running  up  to  him,  expecting  some  fresh  leaves  or  a  choice 
morsel  of  bread  from  his  hand.  He  often  risks  his  life  for 
his  sheep  when  they  stray  away  into  the  deep,  dark  ravines 
or  up  a  craggy  precipice,  for  they  are  constantly  going 
astray.  Isaiah  knew  their  characteristics  well  when  he  said, 
"All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray  ;  we  have  turned  every 
one  to  his  own  way."2  In  places  where  there  are  caves 
these  are  used  as  sheepcotes,  but  in  the  open  fields  sheep- 
folds  are  built,  with  a  wall  around  them.  On  account  of 
the  prowling  jackals  and  other  wild  beasts  it  is  necessary 
for  the  shepherd  to  watch  his  flocks  all  night,  and  the  ven- 
turesome traveler  who  climbs  the  Lebanons  may  see  on 
the  ground  the  shepherds'  beds  made  of  rushes,  with  sheep- 
skins and  rugs  for  covering,  and  near  by  a  place  for  a  fire, 

1  Isa.  xl,  n.  2  Isa.  liii,  6. 

[166] 


THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 

with  pots  and  pans  for  cooking.  This  is  like  genuine  camp- 
ing out  in  our  country  with  a  hemlock  bed  for  a  mattress. 
The  Old  Testament  is  full  of  figures  of  speech.  The 
Hebrews  could  not  think  in  abstract  terms  —  their  most 
profound  thoughts  about  the  meaning  of  life  and  the  exist- 
ence of  God  had  to  be  expressed  in  concrete  imagery. 
Here  is  a  great  contrast  between  the  Greeks  with  their 
philosophy  and  the  Hebrews  with  their  religion.  The 
Greeks  loved  to  reason  things  out ;  the  Hebrews  did  not 
stop  to  reason,  they  simply  knew  things  by  intuition,  just 
as  an  Indian  knows  the  path  through  the  woods,  or  as  a 
child  knows  that  his  mother  loves  him,  or  as  the  sheep 
knows  his  shepherd.  And  so  the  Hebrews  expressed  their 
deepest  feelings  about  God  and  his  care  through  symbols. 
Of  all  the  symbols  or  figures  of  speech  which  are  used 
in  the  Bible  that  of  the  sheep  and  the  shepherd  is  the 
most  frequent,  being  found  as  many  as  five  hundred  times. 
It  was  most  natural,  therefore,  that  at  some  time  when  the 
Psalmist  felt  especially  helpless  and  bewildered  along  the 
path  of  life  he  should  exclaim, 

The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd, 
I  shall  not  want, 

and  then  go  on  to  think  of  the  way  the  good  shepherd 
found  the  greenest  pastures  for  his  sheep  and  led  them 
up  to  the  still  pools  where  they  could  drink  —  for  a  dash- 
ing mountain  brook  is  very  turbulent.  On  the  way  when 
they  were  tired  he  let  them  lie  down  and  rest,  and  when 
they  went  astray  he  found  the  right  trail  for  them,  just 
"for  his  name's  sake";  that  is,  just  because  he  was  a 
shepherd.  And  when  the  path  led  through  a  deep,  dark 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

ravine  they  were  not  afraid  and  did  not  run  or  bleat  if  they 
could  see  their  shepherd  ahead,  for  with  his  shepherd's 
crook  he  often  lifted  a  lamb  out  of  a  pit  and  set  him  on 
his  feet  again,  and  with  his  big  staff  or  club  he  could  even 
knock  down  a  bear.  Then  the  Psalmist  began  to  think  of 
one  day  when  he  was  a  shepherd  and  had  brought  the 
sheep  back  to  the  fold  at  sunset  and  was  preparing  for  the 
night.  Before  he  lay  down  he  looked  out  over  the  fields 
and  saw  a  man  running.  He  looked  again  and  saw  that 
there  was  no  one  with  the  stranger  —  that  he  was  hurrying 
on  alone.  He  knew  what  that  meant :  a  man  who  had  by 
mistake  killed  another  was  running  away  from  his  avenger 
to  a  city  of  refuge,  where  he  might  be  safe.1  It  was  the 
unwritten  law  of  hospitality  in  such  cases  that  the  shepherd 
should  share  his  tent  at  night,  bring  out  the  best  of  his 
flock  and  give  the  man  a  good  meal,  and  send  him  on  his 
way  in  the  morning,  asking  no  questions.  If  David  wrote 
this  Psalm,  there  was  a  time  after  he  became  king  when  he 
would  have  looked  back  to  his  shepherd's  life  and  thought 
of  all  this  —  the  time  when  he  had  to  run  away  from  Jeru- 
salem over  to  that  shepherd's  country  of  Rabbah  across 
the  Jordan,  not  because  he  had  killed  another,  but  because 
his  own  son  Absalom  wanted  to  kill  him  and  take  the  throne. 
We  are  told  that,  on  this  occasion,  the  Gileadite  shep- 
herds "brought  beds,  and  basins,  and  earthen  vessels,  and 
wheat,  and  barley,  and  meal,  and  parched  grain,  and  beans, 
and  lentils,  and  parched  pulse,  and  honey,  and  butter,  and 
sheep,  and  cheese  of  the  herd,  for  David,  and  for  the  people 
that  were  with  him,  to  eat :  for  they  said,  The  people  are 
hungry,  and  weary,  and  thirsty,  in  the  wilderness."2 

1  Num.  xxxv,  9-12.  2  2  Sam.  xvii,  28,  29. 

[168] 


THE  SHEPHERD  PSALM 

It  was  no  wonder  that  after  it  was  all  over,  the  poet  looked 
back  upon  such  an  experience  and  sang  of  the  goodness 
and  loving-kindness  that  had  followed  him  all  his  days.1 
Whoever  wrote  the  poem  —  whether  it  was  David,  or  some 
one  in  Solomon's  reign  who  had  come  very  close  to  David's 
life  experiences,  or  some  other  great  poet  of  the  open  who 
himself  had  had  just  such  experiences  —  it  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  lyrics  we  possess. 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd ;  I  shall  not  want. 
He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures ; 
He  leadeth  me  beside  still  waters.2 
He  restoreth  my  soul. 

He  guideth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his  name's  sake. 
Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,3 
I  will  fear  no  evil ;  for  thou  art  with  me ; 
Thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me. 

Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies : 

Thou  hast  anointed  my  head  with  oil ; 

My  cup  runneth  over. 

Surely  goodness  and  loving-kindness  shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of 

my  life ; 
And  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for  ever.4 

1  This  interpretation  of  the  second  half  of  the  Psalm,  among  the 
many  that  have  been  offered,  seems   to   be  that  taken  by  the  best 
scholars  (see  Professor  Briggs  in  International  Critical  Commentary 
and  Dr.  G.  A.  Smith,  Four  Psalms).    David  may  not  have  been  the 
author,  but  for  this  view,  see  Dr.  Stalker,  Psalm  of  Psalms,  introduction, 
and  for  2  Sam.  xvii,  28,  29,  as  a  fitting  background,  see  Barton,  The 
Psalms  and  their  Story. 

2  Or  "  waters  of  rest." 
8  Or  "  deep  darkness." 

4  American  Revised  Version  (with  the  exception  of  the  Lord  for 
Jehovah),  and  Briggs's  arrangement. 

[I69] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

SUGGESTED  READINGS  FOR  THE  TEACHER  OR  CLASS 

For  an  estimate  of  and  comments  upon  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  see 

VAN  DYKE,  HENRY.  The  Poetry  of  the  Psalms.  Thomas  Y. 
Crowell  Company,  New  York.  50  cents. 

STALKER,  JAMES.  The  Psalm  of  Psalms.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
New  York.  60  cents. 

GORDON.  The  Poets  of  the  Old  Testament. 

International  Critical  Commentary,  "  Psalms." 

BARTON,  WILLIAM  E.  The  Psalms  and  their  Story.  The  Pilgrim 
Press,  Boston.  $1.25. 

SMITH,  GEORGE  ADAM.  Four  Psalms.  George  H.  Doran  Com- 
pany, New  York.  50  cents. 

MEYER,  F.  B.  The  Shepherd  Psalm.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Com- 
pany, New  York.  50  cents. 

KNIGHT,  WILLIAM  ALLEN.  The  Song  of  our  Syrian  Guest.  The 
Pilgrim  Press.  50  cents.  (This  gives  another  interpretation  of 
the  latter  part  of  the  Psalm  from  that  adopted  here.) 

WHITNEY.  "  Village  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,"  in  the  National 
Geographic  Magazine,  March,  1914. 

For  sheep  and  shepherds,  see 

TRISTRAM.    Natural  History  of  the  Bible. 

WHITNEY.    "Village  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,"  in  the  National 

Geographic  Magazine,  March,   1914. 
Bible  dictionaries. 

For  cities  of  refuge,  see 
Bible  dictionaries. 


INDEX  OF   BIBLE   REFERENCES 

GENESIS 

CHAPTER  PAGE    CHAPTER  PAGE 

xviii,  7,  8 164  xxix 165 

xix,  30 106  xxxvii 25 

xxii,  1-19 32,  38  xxxvii,  25 97,  101 

xxiii,  17 53  xliii,  n 97,  101 

EXODUS 
ii,  16 165       xxxiv,  22,  26     ....      129,  132 

NUMBERS 
xxxv,  9-12 1 68 

DEUTERONOMY 

iii,  II 104       xxvii,  17 134 

viii,  7-10 129,  131       xxxii,  9-15 97,  99 

JOSHUA 
xiii,  5 97 

JUDGES 

iv 60       xv 132 

v 55.  60      xv,  4-17 46 

vi,  n,  12 129,  132 

RUTH 

i,  ii 145       ii,  14 154 

[171] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

1  SAMUEL 

CHAPTER  PAGE          CHAPTER  PAGE 

vi,  13 132  xxii,  i,  2 17,  104,  117 

xiii,  5-7,  19  to  xiv,  23  .     104,  113  xxiv 104 

xiii,  19-23 47  xxiv,  1-22 no 

xvii 41 

2  SAMUEL 

i,  i7-27 153      xviii»  9 S3 

xii,  4 164      xxiii,  13-17 117 

xvii,  28,  29 168,  169      xxiii,  20 n 

1  KINGS 

v,  ii 132       xviii,  16-40 66 

xvii,  1-7 70,  75      xviii,  45 70 

xviii,  i,  2,  5,  6,  41-46  ...       75       xix,  1-4 70 

2  KINGS 

i,  8 69  iv,  8-37 93 

ii,  ig-22 94  iv,  38-41 94 

iii,  4 163  v,  1-19 92 

iv 76 

2  CHRONICLES 
ii,  10 138 

JOB 

xx,  15  ff 135       xxxix,  19-25 42 

xxxi,  5ff 136 

PSALMS 

i loo  Ixxxv,  10 155 

xxii,  12 97,  98  xcii,  12 87 

xxiii 161  ciii,  15,  1 6 119,  120 

xxiv,  7-10 32  civ 129 

xxix 80  cvii,  4ff 119,  121 

xiii,  i,  2 119,  121  cxx-cxxxiv 35 

Ixiii,  i 119,  1 20  cxxi 32,  37 

Ixviii,  15 97  cxxv,  i,  2 32,  38 

Ixxxi,  16 151  cxliii,  6-8 119,  122 

[1/2] 


INDEX  OF  BIBLE  REFERENCES 

PROVERBS 

CHAPTER  PAGE    CHAPTER  PAGE 

xxv,  13 84      xxxi,  16 129 

SONG  OF  SONGS 

ii,  i 52      vii,  2,  5,  6 75 

ii,  10-13 151       vii,  4 97 

iv,  ii 89,  151 

ISAIAH 

ii,  13 87  xxxi,  1,3-6 32,  41,  44 

v 77  xxxi,  5 18 

v,  1-7 155  xxxii,  1-2 119,  121 

v,  8 133  xxxv,  i 120 

xvii,  12-14 21  xxxv,  2 87 

xxii,  9-11 77  xl 119 

xxiii,  8 67  xl,  ii 166 

xxviii,  i 15  liii,  6 166 

xxviii,  23-29 77,  141  Iv 119 

xxx,  15-17 32,  41  Ivii,  8,  9 77 

JEREMIAH 

ii,  13 77       xlvi,  ii 102 

viii,  18-22 97,  102      1,  17-19 97,  99 

xiv,  3 77 

EZEKIEL 

xiii,  i8f 136      xxxi,  3 87 

xxvii,  5 87       xxxi,  6 87 

xxvii,  17 101 

HOSEA 

vi,  4 84,85       xiv,  4-7 87,90 

viii,  7 143       xiv,  5 86 

xiii,  3 84,  85      xiv,  6 84 

JOEL 
ii,  23  ff 137 

[173] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 

AMOS 

CHAPTER  PAGE    CHAPTER  PAGE 

ii,  9  ..........      87       ix,  i  b~3  a     .....      104,  118 

viii,  4-6    ........     134 

OBADIAH 
verses  3,  4,  10-15    .................      104,  108 

MICAH 
ii,  i,  2  .........     133       iv,  4  ..........     131 

HAGGAI 

J37       i,  6    ..........       77 


i   MACCABEES 

.    .     17,  41 


MATTHEW 
vi,  28-29  .......................       53 

LUKE 
ix,  28  ff  .........       86      xii,  27    .........       53 


[174] 


GENERAL   INDEX 


Abana,  93 

Abraham,  14,  32,  38,  53,  56,  66,  69, 
104,  163,  164 

Absalom,  53,  101,  168 

Achilles,  67 

Acre,  53,  66,  67 

Adullam,  cave  of,  116 

Africa,  12,  14,  55,  102,  117 

Agriculture,  129-144 

Agriculturists,  13, 130;  see  Farmers 

Agrippa  I,  105 

Ahab,  69,  78 

Alexander,  17,  47 

Almond,  85 

Alphabet,  67 

American,  18,  57 

Amorite,  87 

Amos,  69,  87,  118,  129,  134,  163 

Anathoth,  129 

Anemone,  10,  50,  52,  53 

Angels,  81,  164 

Anglo-Saxons,  46 

Animals,  see  Fauna 

Anti- Lebanon,  89  note 

Apollo,  temple  of,  88 

"Appledore,  Pictures  from,"  22 

Apricot,  ii,  46 

Aqueduct,  15 

Arabia,  14,  26,  66,  97 

Arabian  Nights,  14 

Arabic,  84 

Arabs,  49,  88,  102,  105,  106,  139 

Arbutus,  100 

Ark,  33,  132 

Armies,  15,  21,  22,  25,  26,  55 

Arnon,  55,  100 

Art,  67  note,  117,  119,  148;  culi- 
nary, 164 

Aryan,  46,  47 

Ashkelon,  47 

Asia,  12,  14,  55 


Asia  Minor,  15 

Ass,  50-52 

Assyria,  10,  15,  17,  18,  22,  25,  42 

Assyrians,  41,  43,  87 

Astronomy,  68 

Baal,  68-71,  78,  92 

Babylon,  121,  122,  124,  136 

Babylonia,  13,  25 

Babylonian  captivity,  99 

Babylonians,  1 5,  33,  107 

Bachelor's-buttons,  10 

Ballads,  Book  of  War,  60 

Balm,  28,  97-103  ;  false,  102 

Balsam,  19,  103 ;  see  Fir 

Balsamodendron  gileadense,  IO2 

Barak,  58 

Barley,  131,  136,  138,  168 

Bashan,  97-103,  104,  105 

Bat,  ii 

Baths,  Roman,  15 

Battlefield,  16,  20,  55,  59 

Bears,  n,  85 

Bedouins,  14,  162,  163 

Bedstead  of  Og,  104 

Bee-keeping,  150 

Beersheba,  48 

Benaiah,  n 

Bethlehem,  129,  145-154 

Beth-Shemesh,  132 

Bible,  53,  102,  no,  142,  149,  167; 
English  style  of ,  i ,  2  ;  as  litera- 
ture, 1-3,  60,  161 ;  oratory  of,  I, 
2;  poetry  of,  i,  2,  161  ;  stories 
of,  27,  50,  69,  92,  108,  no,  145, 
148  ;  text  of,  20 

Biblical  times,  99 ;  see  Society, 
Races,  Civilization,  etc. 

Birds,  53,  54,  87,  130;  see  Fauna 

Boadicea,  60 

Boaz,  15,  148,  149,  151,  153,  154 


[175] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 


Booths,  101,  158 
Bottles,  163,  164 
Bulls  of  Bashan,  97-103 
Burning  bush,  69 
Butter,  98,  163,  164,  1 68 

California,  comparison  of  Pales- 
tine with,  6,  87 

Camels,  n,  25,  28,  101,  139 

Canaan,  56 ;  meaning  of  name,  66 

Canaanites,  56-60,  66 

Candlestick,  golden,  103 

Captivity,  Babylonian,  99, 124, 136; 
see  Exile 

Caravan,]i3, 18, 21, 25, 26, 35,94, 107 

Carmel,  Mount,  5,  16,  26,46,  52-55, 
66-78,  1 1 8,  120,  157 

Carmelite  monks,  76 

Carthage,  67 

Cattle,  97-99,  107 

"  Cave  of  Adullam,  The,"  1 17 

Cave  men,  15,  33,  104 

Caves,  7,  10-12,  14,  17,  41,  76,  98, 
104-118,  1 66 

Cedars,  81,  87-90 

Celts,  46 

Chaff,  22,  140 

Chaldees,  66 

Chalk,  104,  115,  116 

Chariots,  16,  41,  42,  55,  56,  58,  70 

Cherries,  85 

Cisterns,  15,  27,  104,  105,  115 

City  of  refuge,  168 

Civilization,  13-15,  33,  66,  92 

Clans,  15,  17 

Cleopatra,  102 

Climate  of  Palestine,  5, 6, 11,19, 76 

Clouds,  71,  80,  8 1 

Coast,  18,  20-22,  25,  32,  41,  47,  48, 
66,  71 

Coat  of  many  colors,  27,  28 

Colonists,  67 

Commerce,  13 

Contrast  in  Hebrew  literature,  119 

Courtship,  165 

Cradle  of  the  human  race,  13 

Crete,  46 

Crocodile,  117 

Crocus,  10 

Crow,  10 


Crusaders,  10,  16,  17 
Cummin,  141  note 
Cyclamen,  9 

Damascus,  13,  20,  25,  93,  97 

Dan,  47,  48 

Danites,  48,  132 

Dante,  159 

David,  17,  32-34,  41,  47,  70,  88, 

101,  104,  108,  116, 117,  129,  149, 

150,  153,  162,  168,  169 
Dead  Sea,  8,  9,  n,  36,  55,  102,  104, 

1 08,  1 20,  150 
Deborah,  55-64,  129 
Deer,  n 
Delta,  25 

Deluge-Tablet,  80 
Desert,  7,  12,  19,  26,  69,  78,  97, 

98,  119-128,  129 
Dew,  85,  90,  120 
Diana,  temple  of,  88 
Divorce,  149 
Dog,  ii,  1 66 
Dog  River,  17 
Donkey,  25,  138,  139 
Dothan,  13,  26,  28 
Doves,  ii 

Dragon,  St.  George  and  the,  17 
Dream,  22,  28 
Dress,  5 

Drought,  19,  76-78,  152 
Druses,  97 

Eagle,  18,  43,  98 

East,  the,  13, 18,  20,  26,  28,  102, 164 

Eastern  Range,  97,  100 

Edom,  14,  36,  97,  104,  107 

Edomites,  107 

Edrei,  104,  105 

Egypt,  10,  13,  15,  16,  18,  20,  25, 

26,  28,  41-43.  47.  56»  69.  88»  IOI> 

107,  117,  131 
Egyptians,  15,  18,  41 
Elijah,  66-78,  92,  101,  129 
Elisha,  76,  92-94,  129 
Endor,  Witch  of,  113 
Engedi,  108 
English  Bible,  i,  2;  as  literature, 

19,  27,  50,  161 
Ephraim,  58,  129 


[I76] 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Esau,  107 

Esdraelon,  13,  16,  54,  71,  131 
Eshcol,  grapes  of,  1  57 
Ethiopians,  15 
Europe,  12,  14,  67,  76 
European,  18,  56 
Exile,  1  2  1  ;  see  Captivity 
Ezekiel,  87,  101,  120,  136 

Famine,  70,  76-78,  101 

Farmers,  77,  85,  101,  130,  131,  133, 


Farming,  see  Agriculture 

Fauna,  9-1  2,  20 

Feast,  131,  134,  156,  158,  165 

Fellah,  69,  138 

Fences,  133,  162 

Fennel,  141  note 

Fig,  n,  131 

Figures  of  speech,  19,  59,  71,  167 

Fir,  n,  19,  122;  see  Balsam 

Fire,  19 

Firebrand,  49 

Fish,  67,  1  20 

Fitch,  141  note 

Flocks,  14,  26,  57,98,  107,  163,  165, 

1  66,  1  68;  see  Sheep 
Flood,  80 

Flora,  5,  6,  9-12,  20 
Flowers,  53,  54,  89,  1  20  ;  see  Flora 
Folk  songs,  143,  155,  156 
Folklore,  92 
Forest,  cedar,  82,  87-90  ;  oak,  53  ; 

deforestation,  88,  89 
Forge,  47 

Fortress  of  Jerusalem,  18,  19,  32 
Fox,  49,  85 
Foxglove,  53 
France,  46,  60 
Frank,  18 
Frenchmen,  16,  17 

Galilee,  hills  of,  6,  86  ;  Sea  of,  8, 

13,  no,  113 
Garden,  71,  75 

Gardens  of  Solomon,  150,  151 
Gaza,  47,  50 
Genesis,  27 
Genius,  Hebrew,  119;  racial,  119 


Geography,  2,  3,  12,  18;  ancient, 
3-4 ;  commercial,  4 ;  of  the  Holy 
Land,  17, 18  ;  modern,  4;  of  Pal- 
estine, 2, 3,  5, 90;  physical,  19, 20 

Geology,  6-9,  12 

George,  St.,  17 

German,  27 

German  Emperor's  trip,  16 

Gideon,  132,  139 

Gilead,  53,  69, 97-103, 104, 105, 129 

Gileadites,  168 

Giraffe,  117 

Girdle,  26,  69 

Glacial  period,  6  note 

Gladden,  Washington  (quoted), 3 5, 
36 

Gleaning,  15,  153 

Goats,  105,  164 

Goethe  (quoted),  148 

God,  19,  21,  32-34,  37-39,  43,  69- 
71,  76,  77, 82,  89,  90,  94, 99,  120, 
121, 130,  138,  141,  151,  162,  167 ; 
see  Jehovah 

Gods,  39,  69,  70,  92,  95,  163 

Goldfinch,  n 

Goliath,  47 

Gospels,  10 

Gosse,  Edmund  (quoted),  i 

Government,  76,  77 

Grain,  16,  25,  46,  49,  101,  115, 
130-132,  139-141,  151,  153;  see 
Wheat 

Grapes,  n,  101,  156,  157,  164 

Grass,  26,  120,  163 

Grasshopper,  n,  19,  137 

Graves,  104;  see  Tombs 

Grazing,  100,  101 

Greeks,  16,  27,  39,  46,  47,  66,  117, 
130,  167 

Guest,  preparation  for  a,  164 

Guerrilla  warfare,  17,  41 

Habakkuk,  138 

Haggai,  137 

Hall,  G.  Stanley  (quoted),  i 

Hannibal,  67 

Harbor,  18,  20 

Harvest,  22 

Harvest  Song,  the  Exmoor,  143 

Harvesting,  138,  139,  141-143,  151 


[177] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 


Hauran,  14 

Heber,  59 

Hebrew  genius,  1 19 

Hebrew  history,  32,  38,  41 

Hebrew  literature,  18,  48,  50,  60, 

119,    130,    142,    150,    155,    156, 

159,  161 

Hebrew  proverb,  84 
Hebrew  word,  59 
Hebrews,   13,   15,   18,  21,  37,  41, 

46,  47,  50,  56,  57,  66,  67,  69,  76, 

102,    107,    in,    129,    130,    143, 

149,  167 

Hebron,  26,  53,  104,  157 
Heliopolis,  102 
Hermits,  105,  no 
Hermon,  Mount,  6,  71,  84-86,  88, 

97,  98,  1 20 
Herod,  15,  17,  no 
Hezekiah,  15,  17 
High  place,  36,  37,  39,  71 
Hills,  20,  21,  32-44,  47,  48,  53-55, 

58,  69,  71,80,  100,  101,  104,  105, 

115,  116,  120,  129,  131,  139,  156, 

157,  163;  see  Mountains 
Hippopotamus,  117 
Hiram,  132 

History,  12-18,  43,  55,  56,  76, 
Hittites,  15 
Hollyhock,  10 

Holy  Land,  75  ;  see  Palestine 
Homer,  32,  66 

Honey,  98,  101,  150,  164,  168 
Hood,  Thomas  (quoted),  149 
Horse,  42,  43,  58,  78,  139 
Hosea,  86,  89,  90,  119 
Hospitality,  168 
Houses,  5 
Huleh,  Lake,  7,  10 
Humor,  50 
Hunting,  85 
Hyacinth,  54 
Hyena,  u 
Hymn  book,  34, 155,  156;  Davidic 

collection  in,  162 

Ideal  Maiden,  75,  89 
Ideal  Man,  121 
Imru'1-Kais,  80 
India,  10 


Indians,  41,  56 

Industries,  156,  162;  see  Agricul- 
ture, Harvesting,  Shepherds, 

Merchants,  etc. 
Iphigenia,  39 
Irony,  92 
Isaac,  39,  163 
Isaiah,  42,  43,  67,  69,  87,  120-122, 

124,  129,  133,  140,  141,  156,  158, 

164,  1 66 

Ishmaelites,  28,  101 
Israel,  22,  41,  43,  55-58,  69,  70,  76, 

89,  93,  94,  98,  99,  121,  122,  129, 

131,  141,  162,  163 
Israelites,  47,  56,  58-60,  69,  101, 

107,  131,  132,  152,  162 

Jabbok,  55, 100 

Jackal,  n,  49,  1 66 

Jacob,  101,  107,  165 

Jael,  59 

Jaffa,  53  ;  see  Joppa 

Jebel-esh-Sheik,  85 

Jehovah,  18,  33,  34,  38,  69-71,  76, 
81,  98,  107,  132  ;  see  God 

Jeremiah,  99,  101,  129 

Jericho,  94,  102 

Jerome,  Saint,  84 

Jerusalem,  15,  17,  18,  32,  33,  35, 
41,  42,  48,  67,  86,  88,  102,  104, 
107,  no,  115,  121,  124,  129,  132, 
150,  157,  158,  1 68;  New,  120 

Jesus,  53,  86,  150 

Jews,  17;  see    Hebrews 

Jezebel,  69,  78 

Jezreel,  Valley  of,  6 

Joan  of  Arc,  60 

Job,  42,  134 

Joel,  1 20 

Jonathan,  no,  150,  153 

Joppa,  5,  17,  52,  53 

Jordan  River,  7, 8, 1 4, 26,  53,  55-57, 
86,  92-96,  97,  100,  105,  152,  168 

Jordan  Valley,  5,  8,  9,  n,  13,  20 

Joseph,  13,  25-30,  101 

Josephus,  102 

Joshua,  56;  Book  of,  97, 

Judas  Maccabeus,  17,  41,  117 

Judea,  mountains  of,  12,  18,  19,  32, 
35,  41,  54,  101,  102,  120, 150,  157 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Judges,  the,  48;  Book  of,  15 

Juniper,  85 

Justice,  118,  121,  159 

Kadesh,  17 

Kenite,  Heber  the,  59 
Kine  of  Bashan,  99 
Kishon,  54,  55-64 
Knights  Templars,  17 

"  Lady  of  the  Lake,  The  "  (quoted), 

57 
Laish,  48 

Lamb,  Charles  (quoted),  117 

Lament,  David's,  153 

Land,  of  Heart's  Desire,  76;  of 

Promise,  131 
Landscape,  20 
Laundry,  104,  115 
Lava,  100 
Law,  49,  1 34 ;  of  hospitality,  1 68  ; 

of  marriage,  149;  of  nature,  141 
Lebanon,  7,  n,  17,  48,  55,  80,  81, 

86,  87-90,  97,  120,  157,  166 
Lemuel,  129 
Leprosy,  93 
Lightning,  21,  70,  81 
Lily,  10,  52,  90 
Limestone,  104,  106 
Lion,  ii,  43 
Literature,  22,  28,  60,  92,  104,  142, 

148, 153, 155, 156,  161 ;  the  Bible 

as,  I,  2,  18,  19,  20,  108,  156 
Lizard,  n 
Locusts,  1 20 

"  Lorna  Doone  "  (quoted),  142, 143 
Lot,  1 06 
Love,  of  God,  89,   151  ;   prophet 

of,  119  ;  faithful,  152 
Lowell,  J.  R.  (quoted),  22 
Lydda,  14 
Lyric,  19,  35,  161,  169 

Maccabeus,  17,  41,  117 

Machpelah,  104 

Maid,  93 

Maiden,  the  Ideal,  75,  89 

Maidenhair  fern,  10,  115,  116 

Man,  the  Ideal,  1 2 1 ;  of  Vengeance, 


Map,  mosaic,  3 

Markets,  25,  136,  159 

Markham,  Edwin  (quoted),  83 

Marsh,  7,  10 

Masts,  87 

Mecca,  102 

Mediterranean  Sea,  5,  22,  46,  54, 

55.  75'  77  note,  80,  85 
Megiddo,  16 
Memphis,  25 
Menelaus,  66 
Merchants,  25,  67,   107,  134;   see 

Traders 
Meroz,  57 
Micah,  129,  133 
Michmash,  no,  in,  113 
Midianites,  132,  139 
Mignonette,  10 
Milk,  98,  122,  163,  165;  and  honey, 

150 

Millet,  138 
Milton  (quoted),  50 
Moab,  king  of,  163  ;  Plateau  of,  5, 

97,  104,  106,  152 
Moabitess,  Ruth  the,  152 
Mohammedans,  20  note 
Monastery,  76 
Mongols,  1 6 
Monks,  76 
Moonstroke,  35 
Moresheth,  129 
Moriah,  Mount,  38,  39 
Moses,  69,  70,  1 06,  165 
Moslems,  16 
Mountains,  19,  35,  36,  84,  97,  98, 

100,  104  ;  see  Hills 
Mu'allaka,  80 
Museum,  British,  17;   Semitic,  at 

Harvard,  10 
Music,  21,  152,  161 
Mustard,  10 
Myrrh,  28,  101 
Myrtle,  100,  122 

Naaman,  92-96 
Naomi,  148,  152 
Napoleon  I,  16 
Napoleon  III,  17 
Narcissus,  10,  52 
National  hymns,  35 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 


National  ideals,  21,  141 

Nations,  18,  27  ;  see  Races 

Nature,  21,  77,  78,  90,  130;  laws 
of,  141 ;  lovers  of,  80,  89,  130, 
161,  169;  worship  of,  68 

Nebuchadnezzar,  67  note 

Nile,  25 

Nineveh,  25 

Nomad,  13,  26,  68,  69 

Northern  Kingdom,  69,  86,  129 

Numbers,  Book  of,  157 

Oak,  53,  75,  76,  100,  101  ;  compar- 
ison of  cedars  with,  88 
Obadiah,  107 
Obelisk,  17 
Odyssey,  66 
Og,  104 
Oil,  101,  102 
Oleander,  100,  101 
Olive,  u,  loo 
Omri,  15 

Onomatopoeia,  22,  59 
Orange,  46,  53 
Oratory  of  the  Bible,  i,  2 
Orchards,  71,  75,  101 
Orchids,  10,  54 
Orient,  20 ;  see  East 
Owl,  ii 

Paintings,  117 

Palestine,  agriculture  in,  138-140, 
150-153;  balm  in,  97-103;  caves 
of,  10, 104-1 18;  contrasts  of,  1 19; 
fences  of,  133;  flowers,  birds, 
woods,  and  grain  in,  52-54 ; 
grape  raising  in,  156, 157;  jackals 
of,  49;  mists  of,  85,  j<£j)ew; 
physical  geography  0^2^-26;  the 
Promised  Land,  56,  i jj ;  scenery 
of,  5,  6 ;  seasons  of;  78 ;  sheep 
raising  in,  162-169;  western  side 

of,  75 

Palm,  n,  100,  129 
Pannag,  101 
Papyrus,  10 
Paradise,  120,  131 
Parched  wheat,  153,  168 
Parthians,  16 
Partridge,  1 1 


Pasture,  26,  56,  152,  162,  165,  167 

Patriarchs,  162 

Peace  of  God,  89,  120 

Pears,  85 

Peasant,  26,  133,  136,  138,  156 

Persians,  16 

Petra,  26,  36,  107 

Pharaoh,  101 

Philistia,  18 

Philistine  Plain,  46-52,  115 

Philistines,  41,  46-50,  56,  in,  132 

Phoenicia,  66,  68 

Phoenicians,  13,  67,  88,  116,  117 

Physiography  of  Palestine,  19 

Pigeon,  wild,  1 53 

Pilgrim  Psalter,  35-38 

Pillars,  of  salt,  7;  of  Samaria,  15 

Pine,  90,  100 

Pisgah,  Mount,  106 

Pit,  26 

"Place  of  Peace,  The  "  (quoted),  83 

Plain,  46-53,  58,  66,  69,  70,  75,  76, 
97,  98,  102,  115;  of  Acre,  53,  66, 
67;  of  Esdraelon,  1 6,  54, 55;  Mar- 
itime, 46 ;  of  Philistines,  52  ;  of 
Sharon,  6,  52,  53,  66 

Plateau,  97,  106,  150,  162,  163 

Pliny,  88,  103 

Plowing,  15,  129,  139 

Plum,  85 

Poetry,  American,  82;  Arabian,  80; 
Babylonian,  68 ;  of  the  Bible,  1,2, 
1 9, 67  note,  82, 1 24, 1 40,  1 4 1 , 1 43, 
150,  152,  155,  156,  159,  161,  169; 
characteristics  of  Hebrew,  161 

Poets,  19,  21,  59,  60,  75,  80,  82,  86, 
89, 98, 121, 130, 131, 149, 159, 169 

Political  reasons,  94 

Politics,  76 

Pompey,  102 

Pools  of  Solomon,  150 

p°ppy,  53 

Primitive  setting  of  society,  14 
Primitive  society,  13,  69,  104,  155 
Procession,  triumphal,  102 
"  Processional,  The  Grand,"  34 
Promised  Land,  56,  131 
Prophets,  14,  18,  19,  21,  22,  41,  69, 
76-78,  86,  93,  99,  119,  122,  124, 
129,  133,  134,  137,  138,  159 


[180] 


GENERAL  INDEX 


Proverb,  84,  143 

Providence,  77,  85 

Pun,  50 

Purple,  Tyrian  and  Sidonian,  67 

Quail,  10 

Kabbah,  168 

Races,  15,  16,  46,  67,  92,  130,  149, 

152,  167  ;  see  Nations 
Rachel,  165 
Rains,  19,  58,  71,  75-79,  120  137, 

138,  139.  iSJ.  '57 
Raven,  10,  70,  101 
Red  Sea,  107 
Refuge,  city  of,  168 
Religion,  18,  20,  39,  67,  69,  70,  76, 

132,  142,  161,  162,  167 
Reuben,  28 
Reubenites,  57 
Rhinoceros,  117 
Rhyme,  143 
Rhythm,  21,  152,  155 
Riddle,  50 
Rimmon,  95 
Rivers,  55,  93,  100 
Roads,  13,  16,  18,  20,  21,  25,  26,  28, 

41,  121,  124,  129 
Robbers,  17,  98,  105,  107 
Robin,  1 1 
Rocks,  18,  22,  36,  53,  68,  98,  105, 

106,  107,  no,  1 15,  118,  121,  139, 

150,  157 

Roman  baths,  1 5 
Romans,  16,  27,  46,  47 
Rome,  102 
Rose,  10,  52,  1 20 
Ruth,  14,  139,  145-154 

Sacrifice,  38,  39,  163,  164 

Salt,  pillars  of,  7 

Samaria,  city  of,  1 5,  94,  1 29 ;  land 

of,  18,  41,  55,  71 
Samson,  46-52,  132 
Samson  Country,  48,  52,  104 
Samuel,  70,  113 
Sanctuary,  71 
Sarcasm,  70,  92 
Satire,  92 
Saul,  47,  104,  108,  no,  113,  1 16, 162 


Scenery  of  Palestine,  5,  6 

Scotch,  27,  57,  66 

Scott,  Sir  Walter  (quoted),  57 

Scythians,  16 

Seasons,  78 

Semites,  37,  46,  67 

Semitic  Museum,  10 

Sennacherib,  17,  22 

Shade  of  the  cedars,  87 

Shakespeare,  159 

Sharon,  Plain  of,  6,  53,  66,  71;  rose 

of,  52 

Sheba,  Queen  of,  102 
Sheep,  11,  57,  99,  101,  124,  130, 

162-169;  see  Flocks 
Sheep  pens,  104,  166 
Sheepshearing,  165 
Shephelah,  104,  115 
Shepherd,  19,101,124,129,161-169 
Shrubs,  85,  100 
Shunammite,  76,  93 
Sidon,  66 

Sidonian  purple,  67 
Sirocco,  77 
Sisera,  58-60 
Sit-Ikwitha,  14 
Slavery,  56,  131 
Slaves,  28 

Smith,  G.  A.  (quoted),  90 
Snake,  n 

Snow,  19,  84-86,  98 
Social  message,  90 
Society,  primitive,  13,69,  104,  155 
Sodom,  1 06 
Soil,  100,  157 
Solomon,  67,  88,  102,  132, 133, 1 50, 

151,  163,  169 
Songs,  155,  156;  Love  Song  of  the 

Vineyard,  159 
South,  the,  25 
Sparrow,  n 
Spelt,  141  note 
Spicery,  28,  101 
Spirits,  68 
Spirituality,  76 

Spring,  106, 115,  1 50, 165 ;  see  Well 
Steppes,  85 
Stork,  ii 
Storm,  19,  21,  49,  77,  78,  80-83, 

120;  volcanic,  106 


[181] 


OLD  TESTAMENT  MASTERPIECES 


Story,  19,  25,  27,  39,  48,  50,  69, 92, 
93,  108,  no,  145,  148,  149,  150, 

i52 

Story-telling,  2,  27,  148 

Strabo,  103 

Summer,  78,  84,  85 

Sunstroke,  35 

Swallow,  1 1 

Sycamore,  129 

Symbol,  71,  76,  163,  167;  see  Fig- 
ures of  speech 

Syria,  84,  94 

Syrians,  17,  93,  95,  97 

Tabernacles,  Feast  of,  132  note 

Tabor,  Mount,  58,  113 

Tacitus,  103 

Tekoa,  69,  129 

Temperature,  5 ;  see  Climate 

Templars,  17 

Temple,  of  Apollo,  88  ;  of  Diana, 
88;  of  Gaza,  50;  of  Jerusalem, 
88,  103,  132  ;  of  Ur,  68 

Tennyson  (quoted),  70 

Thebes,  25 

Threshing,  140,  141 

Threshing  floor,  15,  22,  139 

Thunder,  21 

Thunderstorm,  80-83 

Thutmose  III,  16,  17,  131 

Tiglath-pileser,  67  note 

Timnah,  48 

Tishbite,  Elijah  the,  66,  69 

Tithes,  140 

Titus,  1 02 

Tombs,  1 1 6,  117;  see  Graves 

Traders,  25;  see  Merchants 

Tragacanth,  85 

Translations,  156;  see  Preface  for 
translations  used  in  text 

Trees,  5,  6,  68,  82,  89,  90,  101-103, 
120,122;  apricot,  ii  ;  cedar,  81, 
87-91;  cherry, 85  ;  fig,  n;  fir,  1 1, 
122;  myrtle,  122;  olive,  n;  palm, 
ii ;  pear,  85;  pine,  100;  plum,  85 

Tribute,  26,  163 

Troglodytes,  104,  105 

Turks,  1 6 


Tyre,  66,  67,  69,  132 
Tyrian  purple,  67 

Ur,  66,  68 
Utica,  88 

Van  Dyke,  Henry  (quoted),  161 
Vengeance,  Man  of,  158 
Vermont,  comparison  of  Palestine 

with,  5,  ii,  85 
Versions  of  the  Bible,  156,  161 ;  see 

Preface  for  versions  used  in  text 
Vine,  90,  130,  131 
Vinedresser,  19 

Vineyards,  71,  75,  77,  85,  155-160 
Virgil,  67 
Visions,  76 
Volcanoes,  97,  100,  106 

Wages,  77 
Water  rights,  14 
Water-sellers,  call  of,  122 
Weather,  77  ;  see  Summer,  Winter, 

Climate,  etc. 

Well,  14,  15,  27  ;  see  Spring 
Wheat,  46,  71,  75,  77,   100,   101, 

I31'  I32'  *34,  i38'  !50>  1S*>  T53> 

1 68  ;  see  Grain 

Wilderness,  69,  108,  119,  120,  150 
Winds,  19,  77,  78,  80,  82,  120,  130 
Wine,  122 
Wine  vat,  158 
Winter,  78,  84 
Winter  rains,  58,  78 
Witch  of  Endor,  113 
Wolves,  85 
Wool,  163 
Worship,  33,  37,  67-70,  80-82,  95, 

I.5S.  163 
Writing,  10 

Yarmuk,  55,  100 

Zephaniah,  129 

Zion,  Mount,  5,  32,  35,  37,  43,  69 

Zoar,  106 

Zophar,  136 

Zorah,  48 


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